


Fast Forward. Rewind

by nilielh



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character drama crossover, Eventual Romance, Friendship, M/M, Mentions of Mass Murder, Religious Cults, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:41:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 37,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24772564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nilielh/pseuds/nilielh
Summary: He’d been trying to uncover the truth about the events prior to their departure from Yamato for years, but all he could dig out from it was the same thing that had been reported repeatedly on national television, regarding the congregation’s involvement in the attack in Tokyo, and nothing more.
Relationships: Matsumoto Jun/Sakurai Sho, Ninomiya Kazunari/Ohno Satoshi
Comments: 72
Kudos: 69





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the result of watching too many crime documentaries in my free time. Also loosely based on that 1995 Tokyo Sarin Gas Attack Also, Happy birthday, Ninomiya-san. Hope your tomatoes are healthy.

(Crossposted [HERE](https://nilielh.dreamwidth.org/432515.html))

_Yamato, Spring 1995_

“Kazu, wake up. It’s time to go.”

The voices woke him before the shuffling noises did, and for a moment, Kazunari wondered if it was another exercise they all had to participate before the sun was even up. He groaned; his body complaining even before his mouth had a chance to. He’d barely managed to shake himself awake before his mother did it for him, tugging him up from his sprawl on the futon, helping him into a somewhat sitting position and effectively making him give up any hopes for a few more minutes of precious sleep.

He was still blinking sleep out of his eyes when he caught his sister on the opposite side of the room, a woman Kazunari didn’t recognize was standing next to her and helping her put on her jacket. 

Kazunari opened his mouth to ask who the other woman was but he never got the chance, because then his mother was helping him into his jacket next. Her voice was unmistakably hurried when she pointed at something stacked on the opposite wall. Kazunari’s gaze followed the direction she was pointing at, frowning at the lump in that corner, but he couldn’t tell what it was. The room was bathed with just barely enough light for Kazunari to see. 

It was when she’d spoken again that he realized what his mother was pointing at. 

“Go grab those bags, Rie,” his mother said to Kazunari’s sister; then, she turned to him and said, “Kazu, you and your sister are going back to Tokyo with Sakurai-san tonight, okay?”

“To _Ji-san’s_ house?” he asked, perking up a little at the possibility that he might be right. It’d been close to a year since they’ve migrated here, leaving everything behind – the house he grew up in, school, his father’s job, his grandparents from both sides, friends, all because his father’s new religion required him to do so. He hadn’t thought leaving this place was possible, especially given his father’s unwavering determination to keep them here, but maybe, just maybe, his wish was going to be granted.

“No,” she said, shaking her head, and Kazunari’s disappointment might have showed up on his face so quickly, because then his mother was smiling, and adding, “but you will soon, I promise.” she replied, before she pulled him into a quick embrace. 

“Be good, okay?” she reminded him with a smile that looked anything but happy. He grabbed one of her hands before she could pull away from him completely, and before she could push him forward to where his sister stood, next to the woman near the door.

“What about you?” he asked, worrying his lower lip as he stared up at her. “You’re coming with us, right?”

She shook her head and reached down to touch his face. Her hand was cold against his skin, but her gaze told a completely different story altogether. Kazunari felt a strange twinge in his chest as he looked at her, knowing for certain where she would rather be

And it certainly wasn’t here.

“Not this time, no, but I’ll be with you guys as soon as I can,” she said, but Kazunari was convinced she was lying. He knew she couldn’t just leave his father behind even if she wanted to, but that there was a bigger reason why she was sneaking behind his back so that they could. This escape was nothing but unplanned. There was no better word for it but that, and Kazunari was certain it had something to do with the group Leader’s recent disappearance, along with his close devotees. His father included. 

“Maybe even sooner than you think. For now, I need you to be good and just do as I say, okay? Sakurai-san will make sure to get you to safety and take care of you and your sister for me.”

His father’s absence undoubtedly gave Kazunari’s mother this one chance to plan their escape, given the way she was obviously trying to end this conversation as quickly as she could manage it so she could chase them out of the door.

Kazunari knew better than to prod, so he’d simply nodded and let himself be pushed forward, but stopped shortly when he remembered something.

“Can I say goodbye to Oh-chan first, before we go?” he asked, knowing he sounded as hopeful as he felt.

His mother pursed her lips and shook her head, before shoving him across the room to where his sister and the other woman were waiting.

“No time for that, Kazu. I’m sorry, but you have to go. Now.”

+  
  


_Tokyo General Hospital_

_Tokyo, Present day_

It was one hell of a busy day, and Nino was exhausted. He’d finally gotten the break he’d been aching for since morning, but rather than catering to his grumbling stomach first, he’d opted on resting his equally-aching feet instead. By this time, the waiting area up on the fifth floor would normally be deserted, so after his badly needed five-minute cigarette break, he found himself here, on one of the empty benches, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling.

He’d initially planned to take a nap when he got here, but apparently, sleep was elusive when he had lots of things in mind.

The news of his father’s impending execution, and their mother’s whereabouts; plus, the ongoing investigation on the recently found mass grave in Yamato, miles away from where the congregation was once based. 

“I take it this means you have no pending operations today, _Tokai_ -Sensei?” someone’s voice broke through Nino’s quiet musing, squinting at the familiar figure approaching from the relatively close distance. Nino sighed and scrambled upright to sit.

“If I have, obviously, you won’t find me lounging in here,” he muttered, “And for your information, I already did four since I started my shift,” he said, as he watched the other man unhurriedly took a seat beside him, stretching his legs and making himself comfortable next to Nino. As usual, he was on his dark-blue suit and his brown, leather back bag. Unsurprisingly, his lawyer pin was nowhere to be seen.

“And I’m sure they’d page me if I’m needed. What are you doing here?” 

The other man shrugged. “Your sister called. She said you weren’t answering her texts.”

“I left my phone in the nap room,” Nino answered, “Is it so important that she even convinced you to come here just to tell me about it?”

“Not really. But I told her I’m dropping by to visit you anyway, so she told me to verbally box your ears on her behalf.”

Nino eyed the other man quizzically. “That makes it even more troubling. I know you didn’t come here to follow my sister’s orders, or to chat, so, what is it? Why are you really here, Jun?” 

“It’s _Miyama_ , Tokai-Sensei, if in case you have forgotten.”

He bristled. “I haven’t, but it’s just the two of us here,” he replied, unperturbed, and gave Jun a look, “I can call you whatever the hell I want.” He added. Jun chuckled in response, but he said nothing. His reaction made Nino feel more like a jerk the longer Jun sat there, not saying anything.

It normally didn’t bother him anymore, being addressed with a name he wasn’t born with, but he guessed such thing was inevitable at times like this. In private, those who knew him personally still called him by his real name, and it felt good, somehow, knowing that he hadn’t lost everything he thought he did, the night he and his sister fled that place for good. Changing their names was not a choice they’d have willingly accepted, but it was a necessity. It was done to keep them safe.

The same thing Jun had to do in order to stay alive.

“Are you here because of my father?” Nino asked after a moment, keeping his voice low. It could be, especially when the news about those directly involved in the attack in Tokyo, more than twenty-five years ago were set to be executed came out, but he wasn’t really sure. For all he knew, Jun could be here for something else entirely. 

Jun shook his head. “You do know that’s a lost case,” Jun said; there was that unspoken kindness behind the smile he’d offered Nino, and Nino felt somewhat undeserving of it.

“What is this about, then?” he prodded, anxious and equal-parts frustrated. He never really liked this guessing game Jun was obviously so fond of, no matter how exciting Jun thought it was.

Nino watched as Jun produced something out of his suit jacket, a paper, it seemed like, and handed it over for Nino to take.

Nino darted his gaze between the paper in his hand and on Jun’s face. “What is it?”

“Initial site report on the mass grave found in Yamato,” Jun replied, looking and sounding grave.

Nino was certain the look on Jun’s face mirrored exactly what was written on his own.

“And?”

“It’s just as we’ve suspected,” Jun muttered, “Thirty eight bodies in total, Nino. And forensics report states that majority of the bone remains found in that grave are that of children, age ranging from ten and below. But there are also those that are older, clearly belonging to teenagers aged twelve to seventeen. And all of them have been buried there for more than twenty years.”

Nino was trembling, and he was certain it wasn’t because of the cold. If what Jun was saying was true, then he could safely assume that this was the very reason his mother was hell bent on making him and his sister leave that night, while his father was gone.

“So, you’re saying they were buried…around the same time we were there?”

The look on Jun’s face was answer enough.  
  


+

_Yamato, Summer 1994_

The house they’ve moved into was small, and practically bare. There was just the tiny table in the living room that could pass up as a dining table, a small heater in the corner, a stove in the kitchen, and four sets of futons in the bedroom. The bathroom was even tinier that Kazunari was certain only one person could fit in there at a time, so wishing for a washing machine would be pointless.

The building itself was quaint; the off-white painted walls obviously needed retouching. It was quiet, almost too much so that Kazunari was afraid he might go mad if he stayed in this place for long.

“I told you we should have stayed at Ji-chan’s place,” he told his sister when he spotted her emerging from the bedroom, dragging her backpack behind her. Their parents, thankfully, weren’t around. “This place crawls.”

“Be quiet. You don’t want Father to hear you.” she said, but there was an edge in her voice that told Kazunari she was thinking of the same thing too.

“It’ll be my birthday soon. Do you think if I say I want to go back to Tokyo and spend my birthday there, he will agree?”

His sister dropped her bag down and surged forward to grab Kazunari by his shoulders. “Have you already forgotten what he did when you asked him if you could take your game console with you, Kazu? He nearly beat you to death!” she hissed, her fingers shook against their grip on Kazunari’s shoulders.

“Nee-chan…”

“I’m not sure what is happening, Kazu, but your guess is as good as mine. They brought us here because that’s what the Leader told them. I’m sure our grandparents have no idea we’re even here.” She said, releasing him quickly when they both heard the sound of footsteps coming from outside the front door.

It was their parents, and standing behind them was a man Kazunari didn’t recognize.

“These are our children,” Kazunari’s father said, gesturing inside to both him and his sister. “Rie and Kazunari. Kids, meet our neighbor, _Aiba-san_. He told me he lives here with his son. You’ll meet him later when we join the rest of the congregation for the evening prayer.”

All he and his sister could do was nod.

+  
  


_Tokyo Police Department_

_Tokyo, Present day_

To be honest, Nino didn’t like the idea of involving his friends in his quest to get answers, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and Nino was running out of options. He’d been trying to uncover the truth about the events prior to their departure from Yamato for years, but all he could dig out from it was the same thing that had been reported repeatedly on national television, regarding the congregation’s involvement in the attack in Tokyo, and nothing more.

But he and his sister were convinced there was more to it than what was widely known, because they were there in Yamato at the time when it most-likely started. It was unthinkable back then, but later on they realized that it made sense, somehow; it was possibly what had persuaded his mother to defy the odds and planned their escape to save them.

The discovery of the mass grave there recently, so close to the site where the congregation was once established, only proved that they were not wrong.

Aiba looked skeptical at first when he told him what he’d suspected; at least once Aiba had made sure they were out of _Detective Nemoto’s_ earshot. The guy didn’t seem too welcoming, muttering something about their unit being so busy that Katayama-san would have to go back immediately to do some actual police work, rather than meeting up with friends during work-hours. 

Aiba Masaki, or _Katayama Yoshitaro_ to his co-workers, only bowed his head and apologized profusely, before tugging Nino away. 

“You seriously think those…those bodies belong to the children of the members?” Aiba asked, he looked and sounded disturbed, though it could be because his friend was imagining the horror of it all. It wasn’t a secret that Aiba had this very inconvenient habit of fainting at the sight of blood; the thought of burying (and finding) that huge numbers of bodies was clearly enough to give Aiba, or _Detective Katayama_ as he’s known by colleagues, the shivers. 

“It’s what I’m trying to find out,” he said, “And I’m hoping you could help me.”

Aiba didn’t seem too enamored at the prospect of getting himself involved in anything that would require him to examine dead bodies, or dead people’s bones for that matter, even though Nino hadn’t yet mentioned what exactly he needed Aiba’s assistance for. 

Aiba pursed his lips.

“If you’re here to ask me to provide you with updated reports regarding that Yamato mass grave case, then okay. I suppose that could be arranged. I mean, I can ask the chief to make a few calls for me and I’m sure I’ll have the reports sent to me sooner than later.”

“Thanks, but I’m afraid I will be needing more than just those reports, Aiba-shi.” He returned. Aiba sputtered, holding out a hand to cover Nino’s mouth in haste. 

“Keep it down, will you? What if someone hears you?” Aiba hissed, sounding and looking unsettled. “Fine, what else do you need?” 

“Detailed forensics report,” he said, “I’m sure they’re working on finding out the identities of the bodies buried there. I need to know that too.”

“What…Are _you_ serious?” Aiba asked, incredulous.

“Yes,”

“But, why?” Aiba asked, frowning hard. “You do know that would require more than a few phone calls, _Sei-chan_. And I hate to point out the obvious but you’re clearly asking me to do something we have agreed we wouldn’t. Weren’t you the one who insisted we should be careful?”

Nino nodded and swallowed hard. He hadn’t forgotten about that, of course, _of course_ , but this was him trying to do what he couldn’t back then. He’d kept all of it with him for over twenty-five years, the pain and regret of not being able to do anything, from breaking a promise he’d given a friend when he agreed to leave with his sister that night to save himself. 

“I’m not asking you to help me with this just for kicks, Aiba-shi,” he muttered, his voice just loud enough for Aiba to hear. “I’m doing this because I have to know that _Oh-chan’s_ not in there. I need to see it for myself. I need to know that Oh-chan managed to escape that hell too, the same way we did twenty-five years ago.”


	2. Chapter 2

_Yamato, Summer 1994_  
  
  
Kazunari spent his fourteenth birthday eating boiled sweet potatoes and praying every four hours, asking the heavens for guidance. He was even instructed to conduct his prayers outside, the second prayer time he had to carry out under the blistering heat of the sun. Kazunari didn’t understand why it felt like he was being punished, when normally, they’d pamper him on his special day.  
  
He guessed that that, too, had changed.  
  
After he’d performed his third and last prayer, it was well after six in the evening already. Instead of running back to the house like his mother had told him before he was shoved out of the door to pray, he found himself walking the path leading to the open grass field behind their apartment building, that open space area where the congregation normally held its bi-weekly community service. He was initially concerned that it might already be quite dark for him to see where he was going, but thankfully, it wasn’t; at least not yet.  
  
Standing there made him realize so many things, most of it involved the life he and his family have left behind, in exchange for all of this. In his young mind, none of it made sense. He kept hearing them saying about the importance of living a simple life, of discarding everything they once hold dear for their spiritual fulfillment, but Kazunari didn’t understand any of it.  
  
None of it made sense to Kazunari, and he wondered if it would someday, though he highly doubted it.  
  
“This sucks,” he muttered grimly to himself, feeling heat gathering at the corner of his eyes, unable to help it any longer. He’d managed to stave off the urge all day, distracting himself from the disappointment and the hurt that settled itself at the pit of his stomach since morning, but right now, that didn’t matter anymore. The deafening silence only made the sick feeling worse, and before he realized it, he was falling on the ground, shaking, hot tears running down his cheeks.  
  
“Don’t cry, please _don’t_ cry,” he chanted, though he doubted if it would help ease his growing resentment towards his parents, this place, and the people that had influenced his father to be what he was now. All he wanted was for things to go back to how they were before all this, to go back to Tokyo, to their old house, to see his friends, his grandparents and Haru.  
  
“Please,”  
  
“Crying isn’t going to make things better,” someone spoke from behind him, and Kazunari scrambled to his feet, wiping his tears and turning around searching for the owner of the voice. He found a boy standing a few feet behind him, give and take a few years older than Kazunari; he was lanky, and when he smiled, Kazunari felt compelled to return the gesture in kind.  
  
“Trust me,” the boy added, “I’ve had my fair share of crying fits myself, but it didn’t help either. It’s only going to make you look ugly afterward.”  
  
Looking closely at the boy, Kazunari realized he looked kind of familiar.  
  
“I guess that means you’re new here, huh?” the boy followed; he was obviously not waiting for answers, judging with the way he was answering his own questions and treating Kazunari’s silence as a quiet permission to keep their one-sided conversation going.  
  
“Did your parents drag you here? No?” the boy asked again. “Mine literally kidnapped me. Well, my dad did. He and my mother got divorced. I was supposed to just spend the weekend with him, but, here I am.” the boy finished with a grin.  
  
“I’m Aiba Masaki, by the way.”  
  
Kazunari cleared his throat, and nodded. “Ninomiya Kazunari.”  
  
“Oh, you’re the birthday boy, aren’t you? And we’re neighbors, I think. Um, I could have asked my dad to cook something special for you as a gift, but all we have here is sweet potato. And bananas. I mean, I’m not even sure if it’s possible to make anything special out of it, but, who knows, yeah? Oh, well.”  
  
Kazunari blinked at the boy, awed at the way his thoughts seemed to jump from one topic to another, before going back to the previous one as if he wasn’t aware he was doing it. Kazunari honestly had troubles following the conversation.  
  
“It’s okay, Aiba-san,” Kazunari mumbled, once he was able to. He tried not to sound too disappointed, but he guessed it couldn’t be helped. He’d wanted to be left alone, to think, maybe to wallow on self-pity for a while before he walked that path back to the house he shared with his family, and the other boy’s presence was what’s keeping him from it, but he guessed that couldn’t be helped either.  
  
“If you say so,” the other boy agreed, “What about frogs?” the boy asked afterward.  
  
Kazunari wondered if he’d somehow missed half of the conversation, and frowned. “What about them?”  
  
Aiba Masaki grinned. “Do you like them?”  
  
Kazunari shivered involuntarily. “Not really, why?”  
  
“Because my friend and I usually come here in the afternoon to catch them. You’re welcome to join if you want.”  
  
“Your friend?”  
  
The other boy smiled and pointed behind him, Kazunari pivoting to follow the direction Aiba Masaki was pointing at. He didn’t realize it had gotten darker then until he had to literally squint at the path Kazunari had trekked earlier, a figure emerging from the shadows and making Kazunari scramble backward in fear.  
  
Aiba Masaki giggled at his reaction, smiling as he addressed the approaching figure. “Oh-chan, you scared the birthday boy. Please apologize.”  
  
The other boy was close enough now for Kazunari to see him clearly. This one, Kazunari thought, he hadn’t seen before.  
  
He wasn’t on the tall side, unlike Aiba, but he still stood a few centimeters taller than Kazunari. The round face and the girly facial feature threw Kazunari off, but what stuck was the sight of the other boy’s relatively long hair, and a complete contrast to his and Aiba Masaki’s cropped head.  
  
The smile he offered Kazunari then was soft, unhurried, beautiful. Looking at him made Kazunari breathless, for some crazy reason.  
  
“Ninomiya-kun, meet Ohno Satoshi. The friend I was telling you about earlier, you remember?”  
  
The other boy tilted his head towards Kazunari. “I’m sorry I startled you. And by the way, I heard it’s your birthday today, so, happy birthday. Do you like frogs?”  
  
  
 ***-***  
  
  
 _Akasaka Tower Residence, Top of the Hill_  
 _Akasaka, Tokyo, Present Day_  
  
  
Nino’s next stop was at Sakurai Sho’s apartment, once he’d confirmed that Sho was, in fact, at home, and was not anywhere near Yamato to cover the mass grave story. Although Sho confirmed he’d gone to the site two days prior, he’d already submitted his finalized report on it and was allowed a couple of days off before he had to travel to Hong Kong next and cover the ongoing extradition issue there.  
  
When Nino got in the apartment, Sho acknowledged his presence with a quick nod of his head before he’d gestured Nino inside without another word. When Sho closed the door behind Nino, however, Sho startled him when Sho unceremoniously pulled him into a tight hug.  
  
“Well, I do miss you too, Sho-chan,” he muttered, albeit jokingly, when they parted. “And sorry I’ve been such a lousy friend lately, but you do know it’s not my intention, right? Work at the hospital is taking over my life, I swear to you.”  
  
Sho laughed, as he threw an arm around Nino’s shoulders, as Sho guided them both inside.  
  
“That makes the two of us, so, don’t worry about it, okay? Come inside and I’ll make us coffee. Then you can tell me what made you ditch your hospital duties in favor of coming here to visit me.”  
  
\---  
  
Sho didn’t look so surprised when Nino told him the reason why he’d been visiting his friends’ places of work and residences, instead of spending his day in the hospital the way he normally would.  
  
Nino asked Sho why, and his friend simply shrugged. “Well, I kind of expected to hear from you right after the news of that grave’s discovery came out,” Sho said, the words slow, careful. “Well, that and the fact that I have received a call from our dear Miyama-Sensei, telling me to expect you one of these days. I guess you would want to see the site for yourself?”  
  
Nino shook his head, but God, he’d already been considering it. “I wouldn’t go that far,” he lied through his teeth instead, eyes narrowed; Sho, pursed his lips and waited patiently for him to continue.  
  
“You don’t have to remind me of the dangers, because I know. I’m aware of the possibility that there might still be a few remaining devout members lurking around the area. We can’t simply rule out the theory that some of them might still be around, that they might have been keeping watch over that grave for over two decades until its accidental discovery recently. I’m guessing they would try to cover it up the best way they could. And I admit, I have my own personal reasons why I’m hell bent on confirming the identities of the bodies buried there, but that doesn’t mean I’m planning on poking my nose in it only to be caught in the middle during the investigation process.”  
  
Sho hummed in understanding and took a quick sip of his coffee. “I’m guessing this is because of that missing friend of yours?” Sho asked. Nino shrugged and said nothing.  
  
Sho knew enough of the story to figure that one out, simply because Nino had told him, but of course, not the whole of it. Aiba and Jun were there with him in Yamato, and they were three of the last six children, including his sister, that Sho’s mother was able to smuggle out of the residence that night, so of course, they knew. They also knew he’d wanted to come back for Ohno that night when he realized he was the only one missing, but Sho’s mother decided it was too dangerous for everyone involved.  
  
“Alright, so what exactly do you need from me?” Sho prodded after a moment, “If it’s not to help you scour the grave for clues, then what?”  
  
He stared pointedly at Sho. “I need to speak to your mother, Sho-chan. I have something to ask her about the congregation, about who had contacted her prior to the Tokyo attack and how she knew when exactly to come to get the children out of the congregation’s residence that very same night.”  
  
Sho looked confused. “I thought you knew,” he said, “I thought you already asked her about that when the four of you came back to see us a few years after your adoption was finalized.”  
  
Nino frowned; he couldn’t remember any of that, if it even happened. “Maybe we did, and I just forgot about it. Either way, I still want to talk to her. Can you make it happen?” he asked, hopeful.  
  
Sho laughed. “Consider it done, _Tokai_ – ah, sorry, I mean, Nino.”  
  
*-*  
  
  
 _Yamato, Summer 1994_  
  
  
The week following Kazunari’s birthday was slow and rather uneventful, but Ohno told him it would be better not to get used to it. The lack of ‘normal’ activity, he said, was partly due to their leader’s (and his close followers) efforts to secure a seat in the national government. For the past few months, that was the only thing Ohno’s father had been praying for, (it made Kazunari wonder if his parents were praying for the same thing too) although it was obvious to anyone with a working brain that it was simply impossible.  
  
Hoping people would elect an eccentric religious leader into office was one thing, and it actually happening for real was another. Kazunari didn't want to get into trouble by opening his mouth and actually mentioning that to anyone, not even to his sister or his friends.  
  
Kazunari knew better than to prod, but his curiosity won over, the same way it always did when something interesting piqued his curiosity. This time, however, Kazunari wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not.  
  
“How long have you been here anyway?” he asked, loud enough to startle the dozing boy out of his temporary slumber.   
  
“A little over a year,” Ohno said around a huge yawn. “We came here around January last year. We were in Osaka before that.”  
  
The answer made Kazunari pause, and wince. He hadn’t been here that long and yet it already felt like he’d been here for years.  
  
“Are your parents both here, with you?”  
  
Ohno shook his head. “No, just my dad.”  
  
“Same with Aiba-kun, then?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“What about your mother?” he followed.  
  
“She’s in Tokyo, with my sister,” Ohno said. “She left when she found out my father joined this religion, taking me and my sister with her. Then my dad came to visit me at school one day and asked me to go with him, told me stuff he knew would convince me to come. That was two years ago.”  
  
“Why did he take you and not your sister?”  
  
The look on Ohno’s face told Kazunari he missed his sister, more than he would probably admit. “My sister was already eighteen at the time, so the rules don’t apply to her anymore, and my dad couldn’t force her to come with him either.” Ohno explained.  
  
Nino had no idea what rules Ohno was talking about, so he filed it away for now and reminded himself to ask his mother later. “Did you know it was going to be like…like this when you agreed to come with him?” Kazunari asked.  
  
Ohno was quiet for a moment before he shook his head. “No. He lied to me.” Ohno said, leaving it at that.  
  
Then, Ohno added, “That’s why I am just waiting for the day that l I turn eighteen so I could leave. He knows about that, too. I already talked to him about going back to Tokyo to be with my mom and sister when the time comes.”  
  
“He just agreed?” Kazunari asked.  
  
Ohno shrugged. “I guess he knows he can’t stop me anyway. I mean, I agreed to stay with him for a few years now. I could have left before, but I chose to stay. This time though, he knows I’ve had enough. I’m leaving this place, soon.”  
  
“And when would that be?” he asked.  
  
Ohno grinned. “November, next year. Just one more year, and I’ll be free. I can’t wait.”  
  
Kazunari wondered how it could be possible to be happy and yet sad at the same time, hearing that.


	3. Chapter 3

  
_Miyama Kitchen, Asakusa_  
_Asakusa Tokyo, Present Day_  
  
  
The dinner invitation came just in time, as he was leaving Sho’s apartment, wondering if he should go straight to the hospital so he could formally file for a leave of absence, or just go back to his apartment for the time being. Jun’s message, however, was persuading enough for him to decide turning the car around and driving back to Jun’s adopted family’s restaurant.  
  
Nino heard Bando-san’s exuberant greeting of _welcome_ even before he could slide the door open, and the familiar scent of what’s being cooked made Nino’s mouth water. Inside, he immediately spotted Jun behind the counter, the sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up to his elbows as he puttered around the small space.  
  
“Ah, I knew it would be you,” Bando-san quipped, as he gestured Nino inside. Nino frowned but otherwise said nothing as he sat on the stool there, watching Jun. To Jun, Bando-san said, “Hiroto, _Hamburg Steak-san_ is here,” before he turned to Nino and asked Nino what he’d liked to drink.  
  
Jun turned to him and nodded. “Beer, if you have it.”  
  
“Sure thing, _Sensei_.”  
  
Jun stepped forward when Bando-san left, bending over to retrieve something under the counter, before handing it over to Nino.  
  
It’s an envelope.  
  
“Is that a love letter, Sensei?” he joked, although Nino could tell it was anything but. The pristine, white envelop looked too formal and elegant, not to mention the fact that it bore the logo of the company Jun was employed in.  
  
“No, but something much better,” Jun winked. “That’s a copy of the request made by the Yamato local government regarding the mass grave case. We’ll be handling it from now on.”  
  
“You don’t say,” he muttered, awed at this sudden development. “Does that mean you’ll have direct access on the investigation reports now?” he asked; his friend rolled his eyes in answer, probably aware that that was all Nino had been thinking about for days on end.  
  
“That and more,” Jun said, at the same time Bando-san returned with two cans of _Asahi_. He slid them across the counter and towards Nino and left without another word, just as Jun placed a steaming plate of hamburger steak in front of him. “It means that we’re allowed to be present during the turn over. The local government of Kanagawa Prefecture had arranged for the remains to be transferred to Tokyo Medical University, where they would perform DNA analysis on each skeletal remains found in that grave. After that, it’s just a matter of time before the comparison begins. As I’m sure you already know, DNA samples of all the existing members of the congregation have been collected and entered into the database right after the attack in Tokyo, so, I’m hoping we will know the remains’ identities soon.”  
  
Nino released the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, half-glad and equal-parts terrified at this very sudden turn of events.  
  
He stared forlornly at the hamburger steak Jun prepared for him and felt his appetite slipping further away.  
  
“When is the turn-over happening?” he asked; he guessed his plan to file for a vacation was happening, after all.  
  
“Tomorrow.” Jun confirmed.  
  
Nino’s breath catch in his throat as he shut his eyes. This was it. After more than twenty years of waiting, of wondering, this was it; he was this close to the truth, finally.  
  
And he was completely terrified.  
  
“Okay,” he breathed; he was trembling, and he knew it wasn’t because of the cold. “ _Okay.”_  
  
  
+  
  
  
_Yamato, Summer 1994_  
  
  
“That would be the third one now,” Aiba-kun remarked; the three of them have been watching the front from the residence building’s rooftop, and have been checking out the same white van parked there at the front. The sky was darker now, and the three of them were there for at least two hours, peeking from the waist-high railing watching the same two people as they got off from the vehicle and into the building, before reappearing carrying yet another suitcase, similar to the first two the three of them saw the men dragging out and into the waiting van earlier, before it drove off.  
  
“Someone is moving out from one of the apartments, maybe?” Aiba-kun noted as he turned to Kazunari. Next to him, Ohno remained speechless, but the subtle way Ohno’s fingers settled across the small of Kazunari’s back as a quiet acknowledgment told Kazunari Ohno was thinking about it, too.  
  
The fact that this wasn’t the first time he and Ohno witnessed the same thing made Kazunari feel uneasy. Two nights ago, Kazunari saw the same van, and probably the same guys hauling the same dark-colored suitcase out of the building from the balcony of his family’s apartment, their movements were quick and efficient.  
  
“Maybe,” Ohno commented, voice quiet, pulling Kazunari away from the railing. Kazunari went willingly, gaze darting between Aiba-kun, who was still staring down the front of the building, and to Ohno’s face, as Ohno’s hand drifted from the small of Kazunari’s back to his elbow, squeezing lightly. There was something there, in Ohno’s eyes that told Kazunari the other boy knew something, but was careful not to say anything.  
  
“Get away from there, Ma-kun. Come on, we’re heading downstairs; it’s almost time for the evening prayer. If we miss it again, I’m betting that not even our fathers would be able to save us from the punishment box. And believe me, it’s the last place you would want to be put in. It’s worse than being caught in an elevator during an earthquake, I swear.”  
  
Aiba-kun chuckled but otherwise complied, as he stepped away from the railing.  
  
“I heard the adults are doing an overnight worship later,” Aiba said, wriggling his eyebrows meaningfully at them. “That means we can sneak out. Meet you up here later?”  
  
Kazunari knew about that overnight worship, but he wasn’t sure if he could sneak out without his sister knowing. He knew better than to agree, really, but… “We’ll be here,” Ohno said, nudging Kazunari.  
  
Aiba high-fived them both before leading the way to the stairs, Ohno pushing him forward to follow Aiba before Kazunari could even ask what he was thinking.  
  
  
\----  
  
Kazunari made sure his sister was already asleep before he made his way to the front door as quiet as he could manage it. Their parents left the house for the scheduled overnight worship just after dinner, and if Kazunari was lucky, they wouldn’t be back until before sunrise. Still plenty of time since it was only a quarter past ten now.  
  
He was in the motion of putting on his shoes when there was that unmistakable sound of someone knocking on their front door. For a moment there, Kazunari was worried it was his mother, but then it was followed by the sound of his name being called out.  
  
It’s Ohno.  
  
He couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips, nor the way he almost stumbled across to slide the door open, hoping he didn’t look as excited as he felt. But he guessed it didn’t matter, because when he opened the door, Ohno was smiling too, and there was this soft look on his face that made Kazunari’s heart thump unevenly in his ribcage.  
  
“O-Oh-chan, aren’t we supposed to meet at the rooftop? What are you –“ he asked, or at least started to, but Ohno was quick to cut him off, lifting a finger to his own mouth to silence Kazunari.  
  
“I already went there. I found Ma-kun sleeping on the bench, so I thought I should head back down to check where you are,” Ohno said. Kazunari nodded and slipped out of the door very carefully. When he turned back around, Ohno was still there, arms crossed over his chest and was standing too close Kazunari had to take a step backward so he wouldn’t end up breathing right into Ohno’s face.  
  
When he did, however, his back hit the doorframe and he winced at the sudden pain. Obviously another wrong move on his part because then Ohno was surging forward to his rescue, one hand on his waist and the other joining his on his shoulder.  
  
“What? What happened?”  
  
Kazunari trembled at the contact, but he did his best not to show it. He shook his head and kept his eyes on the ground, hoping the warmth settling on his stomach hadn’t ended up on his face.  
  
“N-Nothing,” he said, straightening his back and sidestepping Ohno. Ohno seemed oblivious to the fact that his presence was setting Kazunari’s already frazzled nerves on fire, and if that wasn’t enough to terrify the hell out of Kazunari’s young and equally inexperienced heart, the realization that he was, in fact, harboring an uninhibited crush towards the other boy was more than enough to do the job.  
  
“Are you okay?”  
  
He nodded, even though a part of him knew he was far from being okay. He opened his mouth to say something but Ohno’s fingers cupping his cheek beat him to it.  
  
“You don’t look okay though, are you sure you still want to hang out tonight? Why don’t you just go back and rest? I’ll just tell Ma-kun –“  
  
“No, no, I’m okay,” he was sputtering before he could stop himself, and smiled despite himself. Ohno took his hand away but only so he could use it to grab Kazunari’s own, pulling him away from the door.  
  
“Fine, but you’re telling me if you’re not feeling well, okay?” Ohno insisted as he started leading the way. Nino wondered if it was okay to tug his hand back, but a huge part of him was thoroughly enjoying the feel of Ohno’s warm fingers threaded against his own.  
  
“Okay,” he said, and felt Ohno squeezing their fingers together.


	4. Chapter 4

_Miyama Kitchen, Asakusa_  
 _Asakusa Tokyo, Present Day_  
  
  
“Have you decided?” Jun inquired softly. He’d long migrated next to Nino, their respective dinner still sitting half-eaten in front of them. Instead, Nino had been paying the beers Bando-san had wordlessly piled up on the counter earlier the attention they (don’t really) deserved, and feeling kind of mortified for ignoring Jun’s seriously mouth-watering hamburger steak in favor of drinking to distract himself from his thoughts.  
  
The unexpected question confused him as much as it prompted him to put the can down to frown at Jun.  
  
“To visit your father,” Jun acquiesce; “Nino, the execution is scheduled in a month. I think we can both agree that anytime before that date is good enough time to go talk to him.”  
  
Nino shrugged. To be fair, it wasn’t like he wasn’t thinking about it because he was; well, how could he not? His father’s been in prison for over twenty years, after all – he’d been apprehended weeks after they instigated the attack in Tokyo – but despite the need to see his face and question him about so many things, he decided that his sister, himself, and his friends’ safety was more important than his need for answers. But then again, it had been decades since; most of the cult members’ children who have managed to make it out of Yamato safely, like him, were able to beat the odds and have become what society often referred to as successful individuals, so he guessed it wouldn’t hurt to try and seek the answers he’d searched for so long knowing that he could, now. He was no longer the same terrified boy who’d been separated from his parents, from his sister, from one of his closest friends, to keep him safe.  
  
“I’m planning on it,” he replied after a long stretch of silence, as he stared thoughtfully at the moisture gathering around his discarded can of beer. “You think…you think he would want to talk to me?”  
  
Jun gave him a look, and the sight of it sent a pang of uncertainty right through him. There was no guarantee he’d get the answers he needed, but he had to try, at the very least.  
  
“That remains to be seen,” Jun said, and Nino knew he was trying to sound reassuring, but it’s difficult when they were both aware of the possibility that Nino’s father might otherwise decline his son’s request to meet. He had every reason to; after all, it couldn’t have been a secret that his own children hated him for what he had done, not only to those innocent people he and his fellow cult members have killed, but most especially for keeping his own children, his wife, in Yamato and almost getting them killed too if it wasn’t for his wife’s decision to call someone for help.  
  
“But as it is, you won’t know if you wouldn’t try, don’t you think?” Jun finishes with a smile.  
  
Nino would appreciate the sentiment if he wasn’t already dealing with so many other things. His longtime fear resurfacing topping it all off. Somehow, knowing how close he was from the truth, from finding out whether Ohno was one of the unfortunate ones who didn’t escape Yamato was killing him enough as it was. Then, there was the matter of finding out his mother’s whereabouts, too.  
  
He would have to talk to his sister one of these days, that was for sure.  
  
“I’ll let you know once I decide to go,” he murmured, in agreement.  
  
“And I promise I’ll take care of the necessary request documents for you.” Jun said.  
  
“Thanks, Sensei.”  
  
Jun shook his head and reached over to punch him lightly on the shoulder. “Don’t thank me yet, Sensei. I haven’t done anything yet to warrant it. Now quit looking so pathetic and tell me if you want that food reheated or not,”  
  
Nino gave the hamburger steak another forlorn look and made a face, as he turned to Jun.  
  
“Can I take it home instead?”  
  
Jun shoved him, not-so-lightly this time around. “God, you’re the worst. Fine, fine, give it here.”  
  
“Ah, now you’ve earned my thanks. Thank you, Miyama-sensei!”  
  
“Nino, just shut up.”  
  
  
+

  
  
_Yamato, Summer 1994_

  
Two days later, Kazunari found himself at the building’s rooftop again, but this time, it was just him and Ohno. Apparently, Aiba-kun had errands to run for his father so he couldn’t join them, but he promised he would try to sneak out once he could.  
  
Ohno had apparently told him he didn’t have to if doing so would get him in trouble.  
  
“But knowing Ma-kun, he would still do it even if it meant he’d be punished later,” Ohno chuckled as they peeked down the building’s front through the railing, and Kazunari helplessly giggled too. It wasn’t like it was a conscious gesture; he realized it was just too easy for him to laugh whenever Ohno would say what was on his mind, mostly stuff that rather confused Kazunari more than they enlightened him.  
  
It didn’t stop him from feeling inexplicably tickled, however.  
  
“He’s kind of an idiot, huh?” he said, frowning when he spotted the familiar-looking van parked at the front of the building’s entrance once again. “Hey, Oh-chan, isn’t that the same van –“ he said, or at least started to, but then Ohno’s hand gripping his elbow and pulling him backwards, away from the railing stopped him talking.  
  
“What –“  
  
“Shhh!” Ohno shushed him, and Kazunari closed his mouth shut. He would be offended at the gesture if not for the fact that Ohno looked somewhat – terrified? Kazunari frowned, held his hand out and absently settling it against Ohno’s forearm.  
  
Ohno shook his head and kept a steady hold around Kazunari’s wrist, before he was very carefully leaning forward, just the slightest bit, to peek down. He was also breathing hard, like he was afraid someone would catch him looking. The sight of him made the hair at the back of Kazunari’s neck stand on end.  
  
“We have to be careful,” Ohno whispered, his voice shaking. He turned to Kazunari, his hand moving from Kazunari’s wrist to his shoulder. Kazunari shivered at the touch, the warmth from it was gone. Ohno’s palm was cold. “No one can know, you hear me?”  
  
“About what?” Kazunari whispered back; he couldn’t help it, seeing Ohno like this terrified him too. “Oh-chan, what is it?”  
  
Kazunari heard the sound of the van as it drove away, but it didn’t matter anymore. Ohno was tugging him in roughly and speaking into his neck, garbled, almost unrecognizable words that froze Nino when he realized what he was being told.  
  
“They’re…children… they are killing them. They’re killing the children, Kazu,”  
  
  
+  
  
  
 _Izumi-no-mori, Yamato_  
 _Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Present day_  
  
  
“Sho-san is going to kill me,” Jun grunted next to him as Nino pulled over next to Sada-sensei’s car. Nino chuckled and killed the engine, turned to stare pointedly at Jun. “No, seriously, Sho-san is going to –“  
  
“I heard you the first time, Matsumoto,” he mused, took the key out of the ignition. “Are you going out there with me or not? I thought you have a job to do?”  
  
Jun narrowed his eyes at him in answer, but it did little to deter him from doing something extremely stupid and equally dangerous. Still, he had the whole damn night to decide on this, and anyway, they’re already here so whatever complaints Jun had about his presence, he could just suck it up. Nino wasn’t going anywhere.  
  
“Would it be too much to ask you to just stay in the car and wait for me? Or better yet, why don’t you go somewhere else to hang out in? A café or a bar –“  
  
“A bar?” he asked, cutting Jun off. “At this hour? It’s just a quarter after eight in the morning, Jun –“  
  
“A restaurant, then? Or a hotel, I really don’t care at this point. Just, not here?”  
  
Nino pursed his lips. “You did agree to take me with, Matsumoto. Now deal with it,”  
  
Jun clicked his tongue and stopped Nino with a hand on his arm before he could even open his side of the door to let himself out. “This is me dealing with it, Nino. I mean, come on, just leave this stuff to us. I’ll call you as soon as the turnover is done, how’s that sound?”  
  
“No,”  
  
“Seriously, Nino, I’m not sure this is safe. Taking you here is a bad idea,”  
  
Nino shrugged. “Technically, I was the one who took you here. Now, do I have to kick you out of the car or what? I can do it, if you want me to, I swear.”  
  
“Nino, you’re not listening to me –“  
  
“I am, but you need to know that you can’t force me to just sit still. I am here because I want to be here. And besides, you agreed. Let’s stop this nonsense argument, please. Your boss is already there and he looks pretty mad, too. I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble because of me, Sensei.”  
  
Jun shook his head, then turned to catch his superior gesturing at his watch outside. Jun made such goofy face that had Nino snorting in answer. Unbuckling his belt, Nino heard Jun heaved a sigh.  
  
“Sho-san is going to roast my ass for this, I can feel it,” he murmured. “Shit.”  
  
Nino pretended to gag as he pushed his side of the door open, opting not to answer as he pocketed his keys.  
  
  
\----  
  
Thankfully, the local government of Izumi-no-mori was well prepared regarding the scheduled turn-over of the skeletal remains. The entire area had been secured; the whole perimeter was littered with uniformed security personnel, staffs from the municipal and local government, the local police force and a handful of media representatives. And as expected, the medical staffs from Tokyo Medical University were present too.  
  
Nino tried to keep his distance from Jun, mostly so Jun’s boss would stop giving him the nasty looks. Obviously, the older lawyer didn’t like the idea that his subordinate had went ahead and brought someone with without informing him, but Nino could be wrong too, of course. After all, it could be that that was the older lawyer’s default face and Nino just had no clue.  
  
He tried to ignore them in favor of letting his eyes wander around the area, scanning the crowd working on the graves half-hoping he would recognize someone. It was a tough call, but a part of him wanted it just the same. Seeing someone he recognized here meant he was at the right place.  
  
“Yes, this is Tachibana,” the lady lawyer’s voice broke through Nino’s thoughts, and he refocused his gaze on her and the way she was gesturing for Jun to come closer. Instinctively, Nino did, too. “Yes, Akashi-san, what is it? Yes, we’re still here. Sada-sensei? Yes, he’s here. No, why didn’t you call him instead? Fine, what is it?”  
  
Jun ignored her, but she stopped him by hooking her hand around his elbow. “What?” Jun frowned at her.  
  
She mouthed, “Akashi-san said someone’s there asking for you. He said he needs to talk you,” and handed her phone over. Jun took it.  
  
“Yes, it’s Miyama,” Jun answered, frowning. “A lawyer? _Naruse_ who?”


	5. Chapter 5

_Yamato, Early Winter 1994_  
  
  
It was early still when Kazunari was woken up from sleep, to the unmistakable sound of their parents’ voices. Kazunari knew instantly that they were arguing. That should be enough to wake him up fully, but it was made easier by the feel of someone else’s hand covering his mouth, obviously to keep him quiet the moment he stirred awake.  
  
Unsurprisingly, it was his sister.  
  
He blinked through his confusion, shivering at the cold, eyes wide as he stared up at his sister in question.  
  
“Shhh!” she hushed, helping him sit up with her hand still covering his mouth. Kazunari hummed in agreement and desperately pushed her hand away. “Fine, but you need to stay quiet, okay?” he nodded.  
  
She took her hand back and Kazunari rubbed his eyes. He was tired, but his curiosity was winning over his desire to go back to sleep.  
  
“Are they fighting?” Kazunari whispered. His sister tilted her head in answer before he saw her dropping on all fours and crawling towards the wooden sliding door. Kazunari followed, if only because he was curious, too.  
  
She turned to him and lifted a finger to her lips. “Keep your voice down,”  
  
“Alright, alright.”  
  
“You think I don’t know?” their mother hissed, and it was evident in the way her voice sounded thin and faraway that she was doing it on purpose. Probably so they wouldn’t alarm the neighbors or wake their children.  
  
Well obviously, it didn’t work.  
  
“He’d ordered it before, he could do it again,” their mother followed as if she wasn’t actually waiting for their father to answer. “You think he would spare your own children? You think he would listen?”  
  
“Keep your mouth shut. This is exactly what His Most Holiness means when he told us to be careful. We can’t let ourselves be ruled by our emotions. How many times do I have to explain this to you?” their father answered. Kazunari exchanged glances with his sister in quiet disbelief, not realizing he’d ended up gripping his sister’s hand as they listened.  
  
Their mother sounded hysterical when she spoke again. “Can you even hear yourself right now? They are our children, for god’s sake!”  
  
There was a pause, and what their father said next literally made the hairs at the back of Kazunari’s head stand on end, his reaction obviously mirrored that of his sister’s own.  
  
“No, they’re not. Not anymore.”  
  
  
+  
  
  
 _Izumi-no-mori, Yamato_  
 _Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Present day_  
  
  
Nino could tell something had gone terribly wrong.  
  
Immediately after Jun had ended the call, he was calling Sada-sensei over, Tachibana-sensei following suit. Nino was certain there was some talking going on, Jun mostly doing the talking, and judging with the way both the lady lawyer and Jun’s boss were frowning, Nino was sure whatever it was had something to do with the call Jun received a few moments before. They were far enough for Nino to hear what Jun was saying, and Nino wondered if he could somehow get closer to them without Sada-sensei noticing but before he could, he realized Sada-sensei was barking out something that sounded suspiciously like ‘I’ll do it!’ before he turned around, fuming, and walking away.  
  
Nino honestly wondered where he was going.  
  
His curiosity propelled him to start walking, eyes glued on Jun’s back, but Jun turning completely around and walking briskly towards him prompted him to stop.  
  
“What’s wrong with your boss?” Nino asked; Jun was frowning harder than usual and he looked frustrated, angry even.  
  
“Pissed,” Jun muttered, just loud enough for Nino to hear. “Can’t blame him though,”  
  
Nino frowned. “Why? What happened?”  
  
“Apparently, there’s another law firm that was supposed to handle this case too. Madarame-san insists he has no idea about it. The phone call earlier, that was him. He wants us to talk to the firm’s representative to discuss a possible compromise or something. Obviously, Sada-sensei isn’t too happy about it.”  
  
Nino chuckles. “You don’t look so happy about it either,” he muses.  
  
“Obviously,” Jun snapped, looking like he was considering following Sada-sensei and also knowing he shouldn’t. “There’s no way it’s going to work, you know? It’s bad enough that I have to report everything to that grumpy, old pest, now there’s a possibility that I will have to work with other people too. I’m not looking forward to that, to be honest.”  
  
Nino shrugs. “Well, it’s not decided yet, right? I’m sure your boss will be able to come up with something,” he says, jabbing a finger towards the direction Sada-sensei disappeared to. “He looks pretty determined though, if you ask me.”  
  
Jun snorts. “If he can yell his way into convincing the other party to leave this matter to us, then he has my full support. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure things are only going to get complicated from here on,”  
  
Nino frowned. He clearly had no idea what was happening, or how exactly the addition of another law firm to handle this matter was supposed to work, if it would somehow affect the way Jun and his team have plans on handling it, but judging with the way Jun was looking sour at the impending prospect of it, it was obvious that it would.  
  
Nino’s concern, however, was entirely personal. He was here for a reason after all, and he had plans to get the information he needed even if it meant he had to play dirty to get it.  
  
“I’m sure the other party thinks the same way,” he said, after a moment, hoping he sounded convincing at least. Well, it wouldn’t bode well for everyone involved if they were all going to act high and mighty, selfish even, because it was a no-brainer that this matter needed to be handled and watched carefully. Nino wished Jun would realize it soon enough.  
  
“Otherwise, they wouldn’t try and talk it out with you guys first to settle the matter. I bet they’d just pop up in here and act as if they own the place, don’t you agree?”  
  
Jun grimaced, but Nino was sure he was thinking about it. Typical of him, really, and the reaction made Nino smile, somehow.  
  
“I know what you’re doing, Sensei,” Jun muttered drily a moment later; he still looked pissed but at least he wasn’t scowling anymore and Nino treated that as his win. “but you need to know this isn’t just about me disliking the idea of having more people to coordinate with, aside from the ones I already have to begin with, but it’s the annoying fact that having them around means I would have to be extra careful about what I do,”  
  
Nino nodded, understanding exactly what Jun was trying to say. He didn’t have to be a lawyer to know what Jun meant, really.  
  
“And I’m certain that’s not going to be a problem, Miyama-sensei,” he said with a grin, “We both know how to be careful, after all,”  
  
Jun chuckled and shook his head but decided not to say anything. Nino didn’t need him to. He trusted Jun to know how important this was for him, and that was that. Jun’s silence was answer enough.  
  
  
\----  
  
  
The turnover of the remains was, at the very least, smooth sailing, compared to the predicament Jun’s team was currently experiencing. And Nino knew better than to attract attention to himself, so despite the urge to walk around and observe the way the remains were being carefully transferred to the Tokyo Medical University’s waiting vehicle, he’d simply resigned himself to stay where he was and observed in silence.  
  
Sada-sensei had yet to return, and Nino wondered if he would make it back before the final ones made their way to the hospital’s waiting van, but his thoughts halted when he saw the older lawyer’s car approaching. It pulled over on the same spot he’d parked his car earlier, killed the engine and pushed the driver side door open before he stepped out.  
  
Surprisingly, another person stepped out from the passenger’s side door. This person followed Sada-sensei out, then walked confidently next to him as the older lawyer made his way from his car to where his colleagues were.  
  
Jun was in the middle of discussing something with one of the Yamato locals, probably the same people who’d found the grave, when Sada-sensei approached. Nino watched as Jun turned to acknowledge Sada-sensei’s presence, vaguely tilting his head towards the other man standing next to his boss.  
  
Introductions obviously happened after that, and Nino felt slightly tickled at the way Jun was eyeing the newcomer critically, staring openly and effectively embarrassing Sada-sensei in the process. The sight made Nino snicker despite himself.  
  
Eyeing the newcomer himself, Nino frowned. He was certain the man looked familiar; he just couldn’t place where he’d seen him. As if on cue, his phone started vibrating in his pocket; he retrieved it, still frowning at the man Sada-sensei brought along with him. When he checked, he realized someone was calling. It was Aiba.  
  
“Yeah?” he answered, once the call was connected.  
  
On the other end, Aiba sounded breathless, as if he’d been running. Nino found himself frowning, confused and equal-parts worried.  
  
“ _Ni_ – I mean Sensei, where are you?”  
  
Nino felt entirely justified to roll his eyes at that; obviously, Aiba was not in any life threatening situation, otherwise, he wouldn’t be correcting himself in the middle of talking.  
  
“Hello to you too, Detective-san. Nice of you to call me while you’re supposedly working, or, are you not?”  
  
Aiba huffed and made that breathy sound that made Nino snort in answer. “Of course I’m working, when do I never? Anyway, enough about me. Tell me where you are right now, since you’re obviously not in the hospital.”  
  
Nino frowned at that. “How did you know I’m not in the hospital?”  
  
“Because I’m here right now, that’s why,” Aiba countered, “So, where are you? I called Sho-chan and he also has no idea where you are. I was also calling Hiro-chan but he’s not answering my calls!”  
  
“He left his phone at home,”  
  
“What?” Aiba said, then, “How did you – oh, are you with him? Oh my god, you are,”  
  
Nino chuckled. “So what if I am?”  
  
There was a pause then, before Aiba was speaking again. “He was supposed to be in Yamato today,” Aiba said, his voice barely higher than a whisper. “Does that mean you went with him there?”  
  
Nino swallowed through lump in his throat. “It’s okay, Aiba-shi. I’m safe, there’s nothing for you to worry about, okay?” he said.  
  
“You don’t know that,” Aiba countered, and this time he did sound – scared?  
  
“Detective-san, nothing bad will happen to me, I promise you that. I’m with our lawyer friend, you know? He will not let anything happen to me or else Sho-san will make sure –“  
  
“Then he’s probably in danger too!” Aiba grits, effectively cutting him off.  
  
His fingers gripping his phone began to shake. “What – What do you mean?”  
  
Aiba inhaled noisily from the other end, before letting it out in the same breath. “Someone came to the station earlier, looking for me,” Aiba started, his voice sounded shaky that Nino found himself holding his own breath. “But he specifically asked for Aiba Masaki instead of my adopted name,”  
  
A part of Nino perked up despite of the looming danger. “You think it could be one of the leader’s close followers? Did you get a good look at him?” he asked, hopeful. What if…what if it was someone else? What if…it’s Ohno?  
  
“Yes, and before you ask if it’s Oh-chan, no, Sensei, it wasn’t. He said his name was Serizawa Go-san, a lawyer. He said he’s from this law firm, wait, he gave me a card,” Aiba paused here and the sound of shuffling soon followed. “Here it is. It says here Naruse and Associates.”  
  
“Naruse?” Nino asked, frowning hard. He heard that name before, he was sure of it.  
  
“Yes,”  
  
He inhaled harshly, eyes darting back to the man Jun and Sada-sensei was talking to at the moment.  
  
“Send me his number. I’ll call him,”  
  
“What? Are you crazy?” Aiba hissed, “You don’t even know who this guy is and why he’s looking for us. And before you do anything, let me tell you that this Serizawa guy wasn’t only looking for me, he was looking for all of us. You, your sister, me and Jun-chan!”


	6. Chapter 6

_Yamato, Early Winter 1994_   
  


Ohno was already waiting for him at the rooftop when he’d finally gotten the chance to sneak out of the house, seizing the opportunity while his mother was busy in the kitchen, cooking lunch. Thankfully, his father had left right after the argument he had with Kazunari’s mother early that morning, although Kazunari had no idea whether his father was supposed to be home for lunch today or not.

“I got your message,” Ohno was muttering the second Kazunari was close enough to hear him, hands finding Kazunari’s wrist to tug him closer. “I went here as soon as the men guarding our floor left for lunch. Kazu, what’s wrong?”

Kazunari swallowed past the lump that lodged itself in his throat and looked up, found himself unable to say anything as Ohno stared him down. 

“Kazu, you’re scaring me,” Ohno murmured, and judging with the way his fingers tightened marginally around Kazunari’s wrist, it was clear that he wasn’t just saying it. “Come on, talk to me. I won’t be able to help you if you don’t talk to me, you know that, right?”

Kazunari shook his head; he couldn’t imagine the implication of what both he and his sister have heard earlier while their parents were arguing, but it would be stupid of him to just ignore it. After all, it wasn’t like he could pretend not to know what was going on, and even if he wanted to, he couldn’t.

“My sister and I heard our parents arguing this morning,” he started, biting back the urge to cry. “We couldn’t hear what they were talking about very clearly, but I swear it was about the children. And the leader’s possible involvement in the children’s disappearance,” he muttered, voice shaking something bad.

The look on Ohno’s face told Kazunari this was not something they ought to take lightly. “What exactly did you hear? Do you remember?” Ohno asked.

Kazunari pursed his lips. “Just the part where my mother clearly said something about the leader ordering it before and thus he could do it again. And the part where she told my father she was worried we wouldn’t be spared, my sister and I, their own children.” he added.

“What did your father say?” Ohno prompted when Kazunari fell quiet. “Kazu, what did your father say? Do you remember what he said?” he nodded hesitantly. Ohno’s hands moved to his forearms and held on to steady him. “Can you tell me?”

When he didn’t answer, Ohno shook him gently, one hand reaching up to cup Kazunari’s cheek.

“Kazu, please?”

Kazunari breathed hard through his nose and nodded. “I’m certain I heard him say we aren’t his children anymore.”

Ohno only gave himself a brief moment to let it sink in before Kazunari realized he was being tugged into the other boy’s arms, feeling Ohno’s warm body shaking against his own.

\----

“What was that?” Kazunari frowned as he tried to make sense of what Ohno was saying.

Ohno exhaled harshly as he settled on the cold, concrete floor, leaning on his back against the railing. It was midday but the cold was enough for Nino to reconsider following Ohno to sit there on the floor next to him, too, but decided to brave the consequences if it meant he could borrow Ohno’s warmth anyway.

“I said that if it will happen again, it won’t be anytime soon,” Ohno explained, scooting a little bit to his right to give Kazunari some space to squeeze himself next to Ohno, their arms and thighs touching. “I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing, trying to explain this to you but I guess I have no other choice. It’s not like you have no idea what is happening anyway, because you were with me when they were hauling the bodies out of the building, right?”

Kazunari shivered at the memory, and nodded. “I guess it’s not really a secret, huh? Everyone obviously knows about it,”

Ohno shook his head. “I can’t say for certain,” he said, “But I’m guessing most of the old members have to know about it, and even condone it in the long run. I mean, they would have to, at some point.”

“What do you mean?”

“My father explained it to me once before that sacrifices are expected from members who were asked or have volunteered to be part of the leader’s inner circle. To prove themselves worthy of the position,” Ohno said.

Kazunari frowned. It made sense, somehow, given the way his father had reacted when Kazunari’s mother had mentioned it. A part of Kazunari was sure that was exactly the reason why his father had been acting the way he did, why he’d said the things he’d said.

“So, you’re saying that it’s possible that my father would…would allow myself and my sister to be sacrificed just to prove himself to the leader?”

Ohno nodded. “Looks like he’s preparing for it,” Ohno whispered, as he turned to face Kazunari. There was a tightness in Kazunari’s chest that made everything hurt hearing that, vaguely feeling Ohno’s hands taking both Kazunari’s cold ones in his.

“So, that means we have to get you and your sister out of here before the trial begins.”

+

_Izumi-no-mori, Yamato_

_Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Present day_

  
  


“Detective-san, breathe. Breathe. We need to be rational about these things, you understand? I know you’re worried, but you realize we can’t keep hiding forever. At some point, we have to get out of there and be brave enough to let everyone know who we really are. We can’t hide under these adopted names all our lives, you of all people should know that,”

There was a brief pause in which Nino only heard the sounds of Aiba’s ragged intake of breaths and he knew his friend was intently listening. They’ve talked about this too, once, long ago, and even though Aiba had disagreed back then, Nino was certain his friend knew he had a point. If it was just him, he’d rather live as Ninomiya Kazunari, but the circumstances didn’t allow him to.

He had his reasons, of course, and that mostly pointed towards Ohno finding him, at least if he was alive to do so. But since Nino hadn’t been using his own name for decades, hiding under this identity for his own safety, he knew that it could be hard. Then there was the possibility that Ohno didn’t make it out alive of Yamato, so Nino had been trying his very best to work on what he got just to follow the trail of the Yamato dwellers, hoping it would lead him to Ohno.

So far, the effort he’d put up into it hadn’t produced much result, enough to give him hope. But he wasn’t ready to give up yet. At least until he knew the identities of the remains buried in that grave.

“Fine, but I still don’t think it’s safe for you to talk to that lawyer on the phone,” Aiba murmured a little while later, probably when he was calm enough not to talk Nino’s ears off.

“What are you suggesting, then?”

“You want to talk to him, right?” Aiba said, “Then do it in person. I can call him and set up an appointment with him,”

“Okay,” Nino agreed, but the suggestion felt kinda off, somehow. “Is there something else you need to add to that?” 

Aiba cleared his throat. "Just that you wouldn’t be meeting him by yourself. Because I’m coming with you, Sensei, whether you like it or not.”

Nino sighed and knew it would be easier, for himself especially, that he agreed. So he did. Aiba still sounded like he’d rather not deal with any of it, ever, but guessed he didn’t have a choice either.

He’d just ended the call when he saw Jun approaching, expression dark and gesturing with his mouth and hand, albeit subtly. Nino immediately sensed something had gone terribly wrong when, instead of going straight to him, Jun motioned with his hand and turned right, disappearing behind one of the tents that the local police had setup there for the time being. Nino swallowed the resurfacing panic down, breathed several times to calm himself. He took in the area, and when he was sure no one was openly watching, especially Jun’s colleagues, he made a quick decision and left his spot to follow where Jun had gone to.

He hadn’t even made it inside the tent properly when a shapely hand appeared and tugged him inside. It was Jun.

“Jun? What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost; god, are you okay?” he asked.

Jun pursed his lips, gazing at Nino like he was considering so many things all at once. He looked frightened, and as he grasped Nino’s hand to tug him closer, Nino was positive Jun was shaking too.

“What happened to you?”

“Did you see the man who came with Sada-sensei earlier?” Jun asked, tugging at Nino’s hand urgently. Nino nodded.

“Why? Who’s he?”

“Said his name is Serizawa Go-san, a lawyer from that firm I was telling you about earlier?”

Serizawa Go? That’s the name of the lawyer who’d gone to see Aiba earlier, right?

Nino swallowed past the uncertainty lodging in his throat and instead gave Jun a look. He could tell Jun about that information later, but for now, Nino had to know what that same person he and Aiba planned to talk to was here, of all places.

“Yeah, I guessed as much since he’d arrived here with your boss. So, what’s wrong? I thought the reason he’s here right now is because Sada-sensei already settled the matter with him?”

Jun shook his head. “Truthfully, that’s the least of my concerns right now,” he said, “I’m more concerned with the fact that he called me by _my_ real name and told me that if _we_ wanted answers, he is more than willing to provide it to us. And all we need to do is ask.”


	7. Chapter 7

  
_Izumi-no-mori, Yamato_  
 _Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Present day_  
  
  
Nino found himself driving the car out of the grave site minutes later, to Jun’s insistence.  
  
“This is stupid,” he grumbled, in combined irritation and curiosity, fingers tight around their grip on the steering wheel. Next to him, Jun seemed like he’d rather keep his mouth shut than argue with Nino. In all honesty, Nino preferred that better than this goddamn silence, really.  
  
“We could be taking care of this matter right now instead of running away. That person was just right there, Jun; we could have just gone to him and ask him what he was talking about. _Jun_. Jun, are you even listening to me –“  
  
“Yes, but as you can see, I’m obviously ignoring you,” Jun countered, unperturbed, and Nino honestly felt like screaming, or hitting something. It wouldn’t help solve the problem, but at least he would feel better right after.  
  
He breathed in deep and held himself instead. “I told you he’s the same person who’d gone to visit Aiba-chan earlier, asking him the same thing. And I already agreed to talk to him. You should have just let me,”  
  
“Not until we figure out what he’s after,” Jun insisted, “Or who he really is, for that matter. God, do you even hear yourself right now, Nino? You want to talk to him when you don’t even know who he is? Are you crazy?”  
  
“Serizawa Go-san, that’s his name. You know that already, right? Aiba-chan has his business card, too,”  
  
“That’s not the point,” Jun grumbled, glaring at him through the overhead mirror. “And we don’t even know if he’s telling the truth,”  
  
He snorted. “You say that as if we’re not doing the same thing. We’re lying too, you realize?”  
  
Jun was quiet for a moment, before he spoke again. “That’s different, okay? We had no other choice. We were just children, Nino, and the people who saved us knew what they were doing. Did you think we’d have made it through if we went on to live as the so-called children of the murderers? Do you think that would have been easier?”  
  
He didn’t have to answer that. “I know it’s frustrating, Nino, I get it. I’m frustrated too, but we can’t be too reckless. We’ve been reckless enough, you realize, for going back there when we both know we shouldn’t. But I know how important this is to you, but please, please, let’s try to be sensible first, okay? Let us do a background check on the guy first before you talk to him, before _we_ talk to him. It won’t take long, I promise,” Jun said, pausing for a bit and reaching over to pat Nino’s knee. “Just…just to make sure he’s really who he claimed he is, okay? I mean, we promised we’d take care of each other, right? Obviously, we can’t do that if you’re already dead, so, why don’t you just go back to your day job, Tokai-sensei, and wait?”  
  
He sighed. “God, I knew there’s a reason why I dislike lawyers,”  
  
“Not all of them, of course,” Jun countered, and this time, he did sound – different, cheerful, even.  
  
“No, I’m pretty sure I hate all of them, shut up.”  
  
Jun just laughed.  
  
\-----  
  
  
 _Yamato, Late Winter 1995_  
  
  
“Are you sure about this?”  
  
Kazunari nodded, lips pursed. His sister looked, well, not entirely unconvinced, but, maybe something else? He could tell she was thinking hard though, weighing things in her head as she remained uncharacteristically quiet; it was not like her to react this way, really, and the unexpected silence was making him nervous. The reaction could mean so many things, and Kazunari feared it would be the worst.  
  
Now, more than ever, he needed his sister to trust him; it would be for both their sakes, as Ohno had insisted. It would be difficult to convince her otherwise, but Kazunari had to try. He had to.  
  
“I think you already know what I’m talking about, Nee-chan,” Kazunari added, keeping his voice low, just loud enough for his sister to hear him. She caught his gaze and held it, but she remained quiet. “This was what our parents were arguing about that morning a few months ago, you remember?”  
  
There was a flash of recognition in her eyes; Kazunari wondered if it was a good thing or not.  
  
He didn’t want to push his luck and make her feel like he was trying to shove her off the wall by making her listen, but they were running of time and he was running out of options. Ohno told him it could happen anytime soon, the thing they feared the most, since the ‘cleansing rituals’ would be starting before the winter season end, and that meant they only have a month, probably two max, to plan their escape.  
  
“I’m not making this up, Nee-chan,” he insisted, still trying to keep his voice down. “I saw it myself, I swear. They were hauling the bodies out of here as if they were garbage,” he added, shuddering at the memory of it resurfacing. He honestly didn’t want to be reminded of it, but he guessed forgetting it was not an option, either. Knowing the same thing could happen to them was motivation enough for him to keep trying, to make his sister believe what he was telling her; otherwise, he might be forced to ask Ohno for help.  
  
“You’re talking about…the suitcases, right?” she asked. Kazunari nodded.  
  
“The ones they’ve loaded in a van that was parked outside the front entrance of this building?” she followed. Kazunari nodded again, half-curious and equal parts relieved that he didn’t have to go ask Ohno where he thought the bodies were buried. Clearly, his sister witnessed the same thing, too.  
  
“So, you knew,” he said.  
  
She shook her head. “Not to that extent, no. I know what you’re referring to because I saw it too, but I didn’t realize those were – were what you said they were,“ she paused here and gave Kazunari a look. “Are you sure?” she asked, and when he nodded, she added, “But…how? I mean, how did you even know those were…those were bodies and not, you know, just garbage and stuff?”  
  
He found himself hesitating there. Obviously, it would be difficult to explain how he came to know these things and even harder to explain to her that he had no proof either. Just the words of another kid who’d been here longer than they have.  
  
“Did you see the dead bodies yourself, Kazu?”  
  
He shook his head. “But you said that as if you were sure,” his sister insisted. “That means you have proof, right? Otherwise, you know you sounded like you were trying to make me believe that our father is capable of murdering us, sacrificing his own children just to prove himself worthy in front of the leader, right?”  
  
“No, I don’t –“ he said, but he was quickly cut off by his sister shifting closer, hands grabbing his forearms for dear life.  
  
“Then, who does?” she asked, hurriedly. “Someone obviously does, or you wouldn’t be telling me this. Who is it, Kazu?”  
  
Kazunari blinked. “Ohno-san and Aiba-san,” he said.  
  
If his sister was surprised, she tried her best not to let it show. She squeezed his arms and nodded, lips pursed.  
  
“Your friends?” she asked. Kazunari nodded. “You’re joking, right?”  
  
“This is not something I would joke about, Nee-chan,” he returned, offended. “Surely, you’d know if I am. And I’m not. I’m not, okay?”  
  
She still looked unconvinced, but there was something in her gaze that told him otherwise. Her fingers caught the front of his shirt as she tugged him closer, eyes and expression serious.  
  
“Then show me,” she murmured, “I want to see it for myself. Tell your friends to show me the evidence, otherwise we will forget this conversation ever happened. Agreed?”  
  
The only thing Kazunari could do was nod.  
  
  
\-------  
  
  
 _Tokyo General Hospital_  
 _Tokyo, Present day_  
  
  
Nino’s last stop before he’d head home was at the hospital. He was still considering filing a formal request for vacation, but he was certain that doing so at the last minute was not possible. He’d already asked Takashina to cover his shift for him today (and yesterday too), and hoping for another day off from the hospital would be too much.  
  
Also, he was pretty sure the old prick wouldn’t let him. Kurosaki-sensei could be the world’s biggest jerk if he wanted to be, and Nino would rather eat his own shoe than to beg the old fart for something he was entitled to anyway. He’d consider other options later, at least once he had the results of the DNA tests done on the remains uncovered at the Yamato mass grave in his hands. For now, he’d work his way through his days as usual, and wait.  
  
He was on his way up to get some of his stuff he’d left in the nap room when he received a call from Sho. Apparently, he’d already talked to his mother about Nino’s request to talk, which would be tonight, if Nino was free to do so, which Nino readily agreed to. He still have the rest of today and tomorrow after lunch to get some of these things done before he had to work the late night shift again.  
  
Of course, Sho didn’t call just for that. He’d also demanded Nino’s explanation regarding their earlier trip to Yamato, and Nino felt very much inclined to tell Sho off, that he shouldn’t always believe what his loudmouthed boyfriend was saying, but knew he would only be wasting his breath. Even calling Matsumoto back to yell at him wouldn’t help either, so he just let Sho talk his ears off until he was done.  
  
Or so he thought. “You think you’re off the hook just because you’re old enough to decide for yourself, huh?” Sho said, as if he could very well read Nino’s mind. Nino rolled his eyes at him in answer. “And quit rolling your eyes at me, I know you’re doing it, don’t lie.”  
  
“Sho-san, stop talking. You’re seriously creeping me out already,” he barked back and shook his head. He had seriously annoying and ridiculous friends, damn it.  
  
“Jun told me you’re being stupid. Why would you want to meet that lawyer without telling us first?”  
  
“Sho-san, I’m a grownup, and a licensed doctor at that. I’m not your ward and I’m not a kid anymore, you realize? I don’t need anyone’s approval for what I want and can do. You can tell Matsumoto that, too.”  
  
“Nino –“  
  
He sighed. “I know you mean well, and you’re just doing it to protect me, but I swear I can do that myself. You guys can’t always be here to do that for me, so I had to learn how to do it myself, okay? And seriously, it’ll be fine. Besides, I already agreed to what Jun wants. He says he needs to do a background check on that man first before I can go and meet him, fine. That’s fine with me. But I’m telling you, I can’t promise to be always this agreeable once I get the results I’m waiting for,” he said.  
  
“You’re saying you would still pursue the truth even if…even when the test results tell you that your friend…that he died there, along with the others?”  
  
He didn’t even hesitate when he answered, “Yes,” he breathed, “I need to know exactly what happened to him and who was responsible. And I’ll make sure to make them pay for what they’ve done, even if it’s the last thing I would do for _him_. And I won’t stop until those people are brought to justice, Sho-san. You can bet on that.”  
  
  
\-----

_Roppongi Hills Residence, Minato-ku_

_Tokyo, Present day_

  
  
He got home hours later – he’d caught up with the rush hour traffic when he left the hospital just minutes after he’d talked to Sho – and realized something was very wrong the moment he was inside the apartment. His nose caught an almost undistinguished scent coming from the direction of the living room, following it without waiting for permission from his brain. Warning bells started ringing at the back of his head, but his curiosity won over.  
  
Without waiting permission from his brain, he walked the short distance from the genkan to the living room proper, turned the lights on on his way there, and was greeted with the sight of a mutilated corpse thrown haphazardly on his once clean parquet floor.  
  
He was immediately reaching for his phone when a movement from behind him startled him, dropping his phone on the floor at the same time the sound of his entire kitchen exploding reached his ears. He felt the impact of it approaching, but not before a pair of arms caught him from behind and tugged him so quickly, before throwing him to the floor. Nino felt the pain coursed through his entire body, ears ringing.  
  
It was the last he remembered before he lost consciousness.


	8. Chapter 8

_Yamato, Early Spring 1995_  
  
  
“Something weird is going on,” he whispered in the dark, trusting Ohno could hear him. He knew neither of them should be here at this hour, especially not after the incident at the underground tank a couple of days ago, but he had to talk to Ohno or else he’d go mad.  
  
The silence bothered him as much as Ohno’s proximity did, and he wondered if the other guy was aware of it.  
  
“You noticed it too, didn’t you?” he added. It was at this point that Ohno chose to sidle even closer until their arms touched, and Kazunari couldn’t help the way he’d inhaled sharply in counter.  
  
“Yes,” Ohno breathed, and startled Kazunari by reaching over to grab his hand. “For the first time in years, my dad allowed me to talk to my mother. And he was saying something about a big event happening soon. I have no idea what it is but I have a suspicion it has something to do with the Leader losing the election,”  
  
Kazunari tried to focus on listening, on breathing, but it was difficult when his heart was beating a mile a minute and he was having trouble keeping still. He wanted to look at Ohno while he was talking but Kazunari was afraid Ohno would catch him.  
  
“How about you? What made you think that something weird is happening?” Ohno asked, clearly unmindful of the way he was still holding Kazunari’s hand in his.  
  
Kazunari cleared his throat. “It’s about my mother, too. She tugged me to the bathroom this morning while my father was asleep to tell me to be careful and patient, and then gave me money and told me to keep it, just in case. She didn’t say what I would use it for, just that it’s important that I keep it somewhere safe but easy to retrieve in case I have a need for it,”  
  
Ohno didn’t speak for a moment, but when he did, Kazunari was certain that his voice was marred with emotion he was too afraid to acknowledge himself. Then Ohno shifted, pulled at their joined hands before Ohno reached out to settle his other hand against the side of Kazunari’s neck.  
  
 _“Oh-chan?”_  
  
“Whatever happens, promise me you’ll save yourself,” Ohno whispered, “I might not be able to do it myself, because god knows something might happen to me first, but promise me, Kazu. Promise me you’re going to leave this place at the very first chance you get, you hear me?”  
  
Kazunari wished he could tell Ohno no, that he had no plans of leaving Yamato without his family, without Ohno and Aiba and Jun and all the other kids he’d considered friends but he couldn’t. He couldn’t, because then Ohno was surging forward and kissing him so quick his mind couldn’t catch up so fast to the movement until Ohno was doing it again. Kazunari gasped, lips part under Ohno’s eager ones and effectively rocking Kazunari to the core as he gripped Ohno’s arms tightly.  
  
His first kiss, he thought, reeling at the feel of it, was earth-shattering.  
  
And it was perfect.  
  
He wondered if it would also be his last.  
  
\-----  
  
  
 _Tokyo, Early Spring 1995_  
  
  
The long drive would have normally left him sleepy, his sister too, but he guessed that was just understandable, given the circumstances. They were exhausted, yes, but it was difficult to shut their minds off if only for a little while, to rest, especially with the way things were at the moment.  
  
His sister’s grip was a reminder that at least, despite the difficulties of what they had to endure from the moment they stepped foot out of Yamato, it was the fact that no matter what, he knew he didn’t have to do it alone. A part of him knew he should be grateful – he was safe now, he and his sister both, but even the thought of that only made him feel worse than he already were to begin with.  
  
Opposite him, Aiba-kun struggled to keep quiet, muffling his cries against the back of his hand as Matsumoto-kun, who was sitting next to Aiba-kun, tried his very best to calm the older boy down. The sight of him only made the painful things in Kazunari’s chest worse.

Two more children sat on the floor to Kazunari’s left – Kazunari honestly couldn’t remember their names even though they’ve been introduced in the car earlier – and Kazunari hated himself for wishing someone else was sitting in their place, someone else instead of them.  
  
As if on cue, Sakurai-san came out from the direction of the kitchen she’d disappeared into a little while ago, holding a tray filled with cups. Trailing behind her was a boy about their age, with bright, round eyes and looking unusually alert at this ungodly hour. He was also carrying a tray like Sakurai-san.  
  
They were near enough when Kazunari realized there were biscuits too, _senbeis_ , and familiar-looking individually-wrapped plum cookies. Kazunari’s stomach growled in hunger, a reminder that he wasn’t just exhausted, he was starving too.  
  
His sister squeezed his hand when Sakurai boy came forward with the tray, offering Kazunari the contents of it. Kazunari bowed his head in quiet thanks and grabbed the first one his eyes caught – two packs of _senbeis_ , his mother’s favorite – while resisting the urge to cry.  
  
“Sho-chan, would you hand this over to them, please?” Sakurai-san asked her son, who obeyed without saying a word. He looked not much older than Kazunari, but there was something in his eyes that told Kazunari he’d understood the situation perfectly.  
  
Two cups full of milk soon made their way on the table in front of Kazunari and his sister, and he looked up to see Sakurai-san’s boy staring kindly down at him.  
  
“Drink it while it’s warm. It will help you relax,” the boy said. Kazunari smiled.  
  
No one talked after that, as Sakurai-san stood by watching them. Her son had probably gone back to bed when Kazunari realized he was no longer there. He drank the remains of the milk in the cup he was offered, and was vaguely aware of his sister’s movements next to him.  
  
She was speaking before Kazunari realized what she was going to do. “Sakurai-san, I don’t mean to be rude but, what exactly is going to happen to us now?” she asked, directing her gaze on the woman who’d saved the five of them tonight.  
  
Kazunari lowered his head just as Sakurai-san approached. She looked exhausted too, but given the fact that none of them six children knew the extent of what she was willing to do for them after saving them, he guessed it was just normal to want to know that, right?  
  
“I know this is probably not the right time to discuss this but I could understand why you want to know right away,” Sakurai-san murmured as she took a seat next to Matsumoto-kun, eyeing the six of them with something akin to tenderness behind her eyes.  
  
“Tomorrow, the six of you are going to be meeting the families that are adopting you,” she said. Kazunari wondered if he was hearing her wrong, until she met his gaze and murmured, “I know this is sudden, I’m sorry, but that’s the only way we know we could do to protect you.”  
  
  
\----  
  
 _Roppongi Hills Residence, Minato-ku_  
 _Tokyo, Present day_  
  
His head was throbbing when he came to, much like the rest of him really, but he was still so out of it to even tell the extent of his injuries. He tried to move his hands but he could barely feel them, and god, his head felt like it was going to crack in two.  
  
“Ugh,” he groaned, or at least he did but he couldn’t hear himself through the annoying ringing in his ears, coughed when dust went straight to his nostrils when he inhaled.  
  
“You’ll be fine,” a voice told him just as he felt himself being pushed onto his back, groaning once more when the movement jostled his obviously dislocated shoulder. He tried to open his eyes to see who was there – are the medics already here? – but he could barely see anything.  
  
“W-Who…Who are y-you?”  
  
Silence, but Nino could feel the uneven beat of the other person’s pulse through his hands touching Nino’s face. He still couldn’t see a damn thing, and he was pretty certain he was quickly losing the feeling on his lower half too.  
  
“I’m here to help,” the voice added, and Nino could vaguely make out the words the other person was saying. There was another movement, and then Nino was certain it was because he was being dragged, out of the door or into safety, he couldn’t tell anymore. The person was still saying something, but it was hard to understand any of it when Nino was fastly losing his strength and his consciousness along with it.  
  
He was out like a light the moment his shoulders hit something, groaning as the pain became so overwhelming he’d passed out before he could verbally complain about it.  
  
  
\----  
  
 _Tokyo General Hospital_  
 _Tokyo, Present Day_  
  
  
When he woke up again, it was bright, almost too much so that he was groaning his complaint before he even realized he was doing it. Then there was the distinct sound of feet scraping across the floor followed by the feel of someone’s hand touching his face, and the memory of the same thing prompted Nino to open his eyes fully.  
  
The sight of Takashina’s worried face as he loomed over Nino made him wince, but it was made worse by the proceeding sound of the door opening and closing, coupled with the familiar sounds of shuffling feet. Not even a minute later, he was surrounded by three grown men, all of them were simultaneously asking Nino if he was alright.  
  
Nino closed his eyes and forced his hand up to silence them, regretting the action immediately after. Thankfully, they did.  
  
He groaned when the room fell quiet once again, trying to remember why it felt like he’d been ran over by a speeding taxi after he’d been tossed out of a burning building.  
  
“W-What happened?” he croaked, mentally cursing at the way his voice sounded like gyrating sandpapers.  
  
“We should be asking you that, Sensei,” said Jun from somewhere near Nino’s head as Nino resisted the urge to roll his eyes in answer.  
  
Takashina-sensei, however, was speaking before Nino could. “The medical team that brought him in said they found Tokai-sensei already out of his apartment when they arrived. There was an explosion coming from the direction of the kitchen, but until now, we still don’t know what caused it. I’ve been told that the police had been there to investigate,”  
  
“According to the preliminary investigation, the cause of the explosion was from a homemade pipe bomb that had been setup at the scene earlier,” Aiba answered this time, gaze catching Nino’s from the opposite side of the hospital bed. “The explosion would have been enough to kill you, Tokai-sensei, but thankfully, you made it out before the blast hit you. Do you remember how it happened? Did you see anything before the explosion? Anything suspicious?”  
  
Nino blinked. Then raised his head to meet his friends’ worried gaze, Takashina’s too. Sho-san wasn’t saying anything, but Nino could tell the older man was worried too, if not scared. He didn’t know how defend himself now that their fears had materialized, and almost killing Nino instantly. The dangers they’ve evaded years ago had come to hunt them again, and it was there, right at their doorstep, waiting.  
  
“Yes,” he murmured, as the memory of the earlier incident came back to him in a rush. “But I’m not so sure it was what I think it was,”  
  
Jun stepped forward this time. “What do you mean?”  
  
“Someone was there in the apartment when I arrived,” he started, remembering the mutilated corpse lying on his living room floor, as was the man that saved him from ending up in pieces before the explosion. “and also a dead body. I saw it before the explosion. I was about to call 119 when someone caught me from behind and threw me on the floor, the explosion following after that.” He explained.  
  
Aiba, Jun and Sho exchanged glances, but it was Aiba who said, “We found the dead body, but not the person you claimed saved your life,” Aiba informed him, “The test results came back this morning and it said that that man is none other than Takahashi Katsumi-san, one of the guys who allegedly found the Yamato grave site accidentally.”  
  
Nino frowned. “Why would that guy’s dead body end up in my apartment?”  
  
It was Jun who’d stepped forward this time. “That’s exactly what we’re trying to find out, Tokai-sensei,” he said, “But to be honest? It’s obvious this is intentional. Someone wants you dead, and they also want to frame you for Takahashi-san’s death.”


	9. Chapter 9

_Tokyo, early Spring 1995_  
  
The six of them decided to stay together in one room, despite Sakurai-san’s insistence that his sister, and the other girl, Mika-chan, stay in another. She refused, and then tugged Kazunari behind her as if saying she wasn’t going anywhere without him. Kazunari hadn’t cried all evening, even after the initial shock had faded and even after they were told they would be adopted into different families come morning, but at that moment, he wanted to.  
  
It was late, so late that Kazunari was certain it was already morning and yet they still couldn’t sleep. The futons Sakurai-san had arranged for them were too soft, the room seemed too large that lying there, staring at the vast ceiling made him dizzy.  
  
The figure next to him stirred, and he felt Aiba-kun’s movement before he even forced himself to look. When he did, he realized Aiba-kun had scooted closer, and he was tugging at Kazunari’s hand softly, prompting him to sit.  
  
He did. “Aren’t you sleeping yet?” he asked, and the question made him feel kind of stupid afterward. It’s a stupid question; it was rather obvious why they were all having troubles falling asleep, and he wasn’t the only one facing it.  
  
Aiba-kun shook his head. “I wanted to talk to you, since earlier, but I didn’t know how to,” he whispered, and Kazunari noticed his voice quaking, much like the rest of him was. “I thought you would want to ask me about…about Oh-chan,”  
  
Kazunari’s breath stuttered out of him in a rush, his fingers shaking at the mere mention of Ohno’s name. He looked down and wondered what to say, when he didn’t even know what he would ask that wouldn’t sound like a lie anyway. The truth of the matter was that he was here, they all were, except for the one person who’d done everything in his power to keep him from harm’s way during the time he was there in Yamato.  
  
 _“Whatever happens, promise me you’ll save yourself,” Ohno had whispered, “I might not be there to help you myself, because god knows something might happen to me first, but promise me, Kazu. Promise me you’re going to leave this place on the very first chance you get, you hear me?”_  
  
He did that. He saved himself, but was that really what he wanted? All throughout the drive, he kept quiet, but only because he had no idea what to ask, what to say. The sight of Yamato as they left, but all he could think of, aside from his mother, was Ohno.  
  
Two important people he had to leave behind tonight, and that hit hard. He was shaking before he realized what was happening, his fingers gripping Aiba’s wrist.  
  
“I…I wanted to go back, to see him,” he said, but it was difficult to speak clearly when he was sobbing violently at the same time. He felt another pair of arms holding him, but he couldn’t stop, couldn’t stop the tears from falling, his chest from feeling like it was being ripped apart. “I wanted to, Aiba-kun…I shouldn’t…I shouldn’t have left him behind, oh god, oh my god,”  
  
“Kazu, you wouldn’t have found him anyway, you hear me?” Aiba-kun was crying too, shaking him, tugging him close. “You wouldn’t have, because he was not there anymore. They took him. They took him earlier that night, along with the others. I saw it. I saw them drag Oh-chan away while his father watch, Kazu. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”  
  
\---  
  
 _Tokyo Detention House_  
 _Katsushika, Tokyo_  
 _Tokyo, Present day_  
  
  
As expected, at first, Ninomiya Hiroki refused to see him. It was understandable, he thought wryly, as he sat there, watching the older man squinting at his business card, and then to his face with a frown permanently etched on his forehead, he guessed it couldn’t be helped.  
  
“This…is not your name,” Ninomiya Hiroki murmured; the statement made him smirk for obvious reasons, and he waved his hand back at the older man as he leaned back on the chair provided there. The glass separating him from the man did nothing to hide the old man’s growing anxiety, and he would have taunted him some more if he wasn’t here for an entirely different reason altogether.  
  
“Of course,” he answered, shrugging, “Obviously, I have to improvise. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have agreed to talk to me now, would you?”  
  
Ninomiya Hiroki looked caught for a moment, but he quickly schooled his expression as if he wouldn’t notice it. He let him think he’d get away with it if only to make him stay longer. Provoking Ninomiya Hiroki might not a good idea, but he would take what he could get, anything, just to make the bastard talk.  
  
“And what makes you think I will talk to you now that I know who you really are?” the older man said, leaning in forward to squint at him closely.  
  
“I’m not, but maybe you would want to after you hear what I’ve came here for,” he answered.  
  
Ninomiya Hiroki frowned. “If it’s about the…the incident, don’t bother. I have nothing else to say about it,” he said, and quickly stood.  
  
“Like I don’t already know that,” he quickly retorted, and effectively stopping Ninomiya Hiroki from pivoting and walking towards the door. “Listen, I don’t really care about what you did or your involvement in the attack; that’s between you and your god, who you obviously think is the leader, of course, I get it,”  
  
Ninomiya Hiroki was still frowning when he went back to scrutinize him through the dividing glass wall.  
  
“Then what are you here for, if it’s not to ask me about what happened that night? So far, everyone who came here were only interested in that,”  
  
“I’m not,” he returned through gritted teeth. Honestly, he couldn’t care less about what Ninomiya Hiroki would want to say for himself – that wasn’t why he was here, really – but it didn’t hurt to see that the older man had been suffering for what had happened. And maybe Ninomiya Hiroki deserved it, maybe he didn’t, but that wasn’t his problem to worry about.  
  
“I’m actually more interested to know whether you are still in contact with the remaining members that weren’t directly involved in the execution of the attack in Tokyo, but were just as close to the Leader as you were,”  
  
Ninomiya Hiroki’s eyes narrowed at that. “Why?” was his simple question.  
  
He breathed through his nose and leaned forward, ignoring the sudden shot of pain across his shoulder blades at the movement.  
  
“Because they are after your son now, Ninomiya-san. They found him and they’ve tried to kill him, and they would have, if I wasn’t there to stop it,” he gritted, holding Ninomiya Hiroki’s gaze.  
  
“W-What? My s-son? But I thought he was –“  
  
“Dead?” he cut in, shaking his head. “No. He escaped with his sister, the night you went to Tokyo with the others. Your wife lied to you,” he added, swallowing his growing panic down. That was a close call, really; he’d been too busy chasing for leads that he didn’t think they’d come after Nino in his home, but they did. And if he wasn’t mistaken, they would try it again very soon. Nino would be a sitting duck, especially in his condition.  
  
Ninomiya Hiroki said nothing, but his eyes betrayed everything he was feeling. “But…but she said –“  
  
“She did it to protect her children,” he muttered, unapologetic. “Exactly what she and your own children have expected of you. Now, Ninomiya-san, you know very well that you weren’t a good father to them then. But you can change that now,” he said.  
  
Ninomiya Hiroki raised his head and their gazes catch.  
  
“You can tell me what you know, Ninomiya-san. Tell me and help me save your son. Help me save Kazunari, please.”  
  
  
\---  
  
 _Tokyo General Hospital_  
 _Tokyo, Present day_  
  
  
Nino’s head throbbed at the possibility of this whole thing spiraling into something else. If the dead body he found in his living room floor wasn’t obvious enough, then he himself turning up dead the same night as well surely did, at least if it wasn’t for that mystery guy who saved his ass on time.  
  
He vaguely noticed Takashina-sensei leaving, until he heard the closed and he realized the other doctor was no longer there. The room fell into silence, at least until Sho broke it when he walked the short distance from where he stood next to Jun and sat on the bed next to Nino’s feet instead.  
  
His hand soon settled on one of Nino’s knees and squeezed. He looked kind of sheepish when he asked, “How are you feeling?” as if he’d just realized the absurdity of the question given how long they were there. It also didn’t escape his attention that Sho didn’t look the least bit relieved seeing him awake.  
  
It probably had something to do with how awful he looked like at the moment, but he could be wrong, of course.  
  
“Sorry, I should have asked that sooner, but it completely slipped my mind when you started asking questions faster than I could have done so myself. But seriously though, how are you?”  
  
“Now that you’ve mentioned, I guess not very good? I mean, it honestly feels like I’ve been ran over by five bicycles, though I can’t say for certain since I can’t feel shit. That’s not so bad, though, right? Considering that explosion could have left me in pieces, _eww_.”  
  
“You think that’s funny, huh?” Jun muttered, loud enough to be heard.  
  
He shrugged. “Not really. But there’s nothing I can do about that either. It’s not like I asked whoever it was who wanted me dead to kill me, right?”  
  
“Sho-san, asking for permission to knock that idiot out, please? I’d rather know he’s asleep than awake and making stupid comments about his near-death experience. Jesus Christ.”  
  
Sho turned to give Jun a look, and Nino watched the silent conversation unfold right there in front of him and Aiba. Jun’s expression was sour but he kept quiet, but he did cross his arms over his chest and let the defiance speak for itself.  
  
“He’s just worried about you, Nino. You almost died, you know?” Aiba said.  
  
“I’m sure he knows that,” Sho agreed.  
  
Sho turned to him then. He offered Sho a smile and motioned him over to help him sit up. Immediately, Sho stood, Aiba following shortly after. Jun, Nino realized, stayed glued on his feet, frown almost permanently etched on his face.  
  
“Someone give Miyama-sensei a chair, please,” he teased when he was comfortable sitting up, eyeing Jun.  
  
Jun rolled his eyes at him answer. “No, thanks, but I’d rather stand. It would be quicker to reach you so I could punch you in the face if I feel the need to,”  
  
“Rude,” he countered, without heat. Aiba sat next to him as if on cue and reached over to flick him lightly across his temple. The contact made him scowl, but only for a moment, especially when he noticed the look on Aiba’s face.  
  
“Something wrong?” he asked Aiba.  
  
“Detective-san, don’t,” Jun cut in, when Aiba opened his mouth to speak. The threat in Jun’s voice rang hollow, and that only made Nino all the more curious. He reached over and poked Aiba on the shoulder.  
  
“What is it?” he asked, already dreading the answer. Is there something else they haven’t told him yet? An injury he has yet to notice? He frowned, looked down and quickly grabbed the sheet covering his lower half, and then raised it.  
  
His legs were still there, and when he tried to move them, they did. Holy shit. He turned to Aiba and glared at him.  
  
“Fuck, will you quit the theatrics and tell me already?” he grumbled, seeing the hint of smile tugging at the corners of Aiba’s lips. “I thought you were gonna tell me one of my legs is missing. Shit.”  
  
Aiba produced his phone and as he fiddled on it, he murmured, “Thank god for little mercies. I think He let you keep all your important pieces in exchange for the one you’ve been praying hard for for years,” Aiba said, meaningfully.  
  
Then, he was shoving his phone to Nino’s face despite Jun’s distracting grunts in the background, and Sho’s comforting hold around his knees.  
  
He took the phone and squinted at the document there, barely noticing the hospital’s logo above it. Belatedly, he realized it’s a list.  
  
He didn’t even need to scroll further because then Aiba was confirming his worst fears for him.  
  
“The test results just came back this morning. Chief received a copy of it and he forwarded it to me,” Aiba paused here for a moment.  
  
Then, “He’s there, Nino,” Aiba whispered, just as his eyes found the name, and held it. “He’d been there all along. He didn’t make it out alive, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”


	10. Chapter 10

  
_Tokyo General Hospital_  
 _Tokyo, present day_  
  
Seeing the name written there only made it all the more real.  
  
Nino supposed he should have seen it coming, but finally being presented with the evidence two decades too late still didn’t help. He was devastated beyond devastation itself that he couldn’t even cry despite the pain crippling him from the inside.  
  
God, how was he going to move on from this?  
  
His friends’ presence had always been an anchor, a refuge, a safe haven he knew he could always turn to whenever he needed to feel safe, but not this time. The grief was overwhelming, and he knew that dealing with it alone for the time being would help. It might be weird,but all he wanted right now was to bury himself in that pain, wallowed in it until he was ready to accept the fact that he wasn’t ever going to see Ohno again.  
  
“Do you want us to leave?” Sho’s question came just in time, and Nino found himself staring at the eyes of one of his dearest friends, the son of the woman who had saved his life and so many other children like him.  
  
“J-Just for now,” he croaked, vaguely feeling another set of fingers squeezing his wrist, the gesture was clearly to let him know they were there for him, no matter what. Nino knew that, of course, of course, but just for now, just for a little bit, he wanted to grieve this loss alone.  
  
“Just...Just for a moment. Please,”  
  
Sho paused for a moment before he was leaning down to hug Nino.  
  
“You can take all the time you need, Kazu,” Sho murmured, held Nino close before he pulled away. Then he cupped Nino’s chin, holding Nino’s face in place. “You’ll call us when it’s okay for us to come see you again, right?”  
  
Nino nodded. “Okay,” Sho agreed, albeit reluctantly. He straightened but kept his gaze trained on Nino’s face. “Don’t...stay up for long, you hear me? You need to rest.”  
  
He chuckled at that, offering Sho a smile despite the numbing pain settling across the vicinity of his heart. “Doctor’s advice?”  
  
Sho’s answering smile was soft around the edges, that just looking at him, and Aiba and Jun, made Nino realize he could deal with this pain just fine, simply because he knew he wouldn’t ever need to bear it all alone thereafter.  
  
“And ours,” Sho quipped, as the older man messed his hair like he was still fifteen and asking Sho to help him with his math assignment. “But I bet you knew that already, don’t you? Get some rest, okay? We’ll talk to you tomorrow. Hopefully,”  
  
“I’ll call you,”  
  
Sho gave him a long, hard look, at the same time he felt the mattress shift as Aiba’s weight lifted from it, but not after squeezing his leg lightly. Behind Sho, he spied Jun stepping forward, stopping when he was close enough to the bed to pull Nino into a loose embrace.  
  
“We’ll drink this grief off next time,” Jun whispered, squeezing his shoulders, “But until then, get some rest and don’t do anything stupid in the meantime. We’ll be back here tomorrow, whether you call us to come or not, you hear me?”  
  
“Loud and clear, Miyama-sensei,” he chuckled.  
  
“See you tomorrow, Kazu.”  
  
\---  
  
 _Tokyo Detention House_  
 _Katsushika, Tokyo_  
 _Tokyo, Present day_  
  
Serizawa-san was still where he’d left him, sitting on the bench outside of the visitor’s hall waiting for him. The older man nodded when he approached, stood when he was close enough to talk.  
  
“How was it?”  
  
He frowned and shook his head. He had no idea Ninomiya Hiroki would be so hard to convince, even despite knowing he would be doing a lot of people, his own children especially, a huge favor by cooperating. He honestly didn’t expect the older man to still be blinded by his faith, even after what he and those people responsible for the death of so many others, have done.  
  
But he guessed he was wrong.  
  
“He didn’t say anything?” Serizawa-san asked, frowning in turn.  
  
He shook his head once again. “He _wouldn’t_ ,” he muttered, “There’s the difference,”  
  
“I told you it’s going to be very difficult to convince him to talk,” Serizawa-san said, walking beside him when he did. His hands were shaking in his attempt to keep his anger reigned in, but he knew there was so little he could do to undo this mistake.  
  
Serizawa-san was right. Coming here had been a complete waste of time.  
  
“I knew that,” he muttered, eyeing the exit door. Serizawa-san hummed in answer, as if saying he saw this coming. And he did, too, of course; but he had wanted to give the Ninomiya patriarch the benefit of the doubt, despite the horrors of what he’d done.  
  
“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have come here. Now he knows his children are alive, and whoever’s coming after them would soon know that I am, too,”  
  
He stopped on his tracks and turned to Serizawa-san. “We knew this was going to happen sooner or later, _Kei-chan_ ,”  
  
He nodded. “Whether you decide to come here or not. So, I suggest you let your friends know before it’s too late. The hospital might be a good place to start. After all, you have a back injury that you can go there to be checked. That way, you can also try and see how Ninomiya-kun is doing,”  
  
The mention of Nino’s name brought indescribable shivers down his spine, but he tried his best not to show it.  
  
“You...can’t expect me to just walk in there and ask him how he’s doing,” he said, incredulous; “As far as he knows, and everyone for that matter, I’m dead. We made sure of that,”  
  
Serizawa-san shrugged, reached out to slap him not-so-gently on the shoulder and grinned.  
  
“Well, that’s not my problem now, is it? You asked me to arrange your death and I did. But now, obviously, you need them to know the opposite. That’s on you now, Kei-chan. Sorry I can’t help you with that anymore,”  
  
“Shit,”  
  
“I know it sucks, but hey, at least pretending to be dead is still way better than being truly dead, right? So, cheer up. I know you have a plan. You wouldn’t have resolved into killing your own identity if you didn’t,” Serizawa-san said.  
  
Then, just to be sure, Serizawa-san asked, “You do have a plan, right?”  
  
He gave the older man a look and thought about the hours he’d spent awake learning and relearning the hospital’s structure, Nino’s apartment building, and the places he frequent; it hadn’t been easy, given the fact that there were also Aiba-kun and Jun-kun’s work places and residences to consider as well, but he would have to manage, somehow. Doing so might still not be enough to keep them safe, given how thorough and brutal those people who wanted to hurt them, but he just had to do his best.  
  
\---  
  
 _Tokyo General Hospital_  
 _Tokyo, Present day_  
  
“You sure it’s a good idea to leave him there alone?” he asked just as they got to where Sho had parked the car. A few steps away from them, Aiba stood; he hadn’t said a word since they left Nino’s hospital room. Jun noticed Aiba’s unusual behavior, and the fact that Aiba looked more and more uneasy, disturbed, every passing minute.  
  
He tried to ignore Aiba in favor of turning his attention to Sho.  
  
Sho looked pointedly at him, as if saying, “Do you have a better idea?” to which Jun replied with a shrug.  
  
“He needs to be alone for a while, Jun,” Sho insisted, frowned when he realized he had been trying to unlock the car’s door for a while now but it seemed like his key fob wasn’t working.  
  
“You heard him, right?” Sho added, grunted as he gave up using the defective key fob and decided to use the car key to unlock the door instead. Jun sighed, barely noticing Aiba stepping forward with a shout, and shoving him and Sho out of the way.  
  
The next thing Jun realized was the sound of an explosion ringing in his ear, the unbearable heat, and the overwhelming pain after it. The horror of what just happened settled right after, as was the fear of not knowing where Sho and Aiba were.  
  
Unfortunately, he wasn’t going to be conscious long enough to find them. He was out like a light the moment the second explosion went off.  
  
\---  
  
The sound of door opening prompted Nino to stop crying, turning on his side and hoping whoever came to check on him would leave just as quickly as they arrived. He curled onto himself, ignoring the sudden shot of pain on his back at the movement. It was nothing, compared to the pain he had to endure for the days to come.  
  
“Kazu, wake up,” a voice prompted him out of his self-imposed slumber, frowning at the way the voice registered to him as something that should be nothing but familiar. “They’re here. You have to wake up, come on,” the voice insisted, and Nino would have complained about it if it wasn’t for the fact that the blanket he’d covered himself with was being tugged off next.  
  
“What -” he hissed, just as a pair of hands found his shoulders to help him up. Words ended up stuck in his throat as his eyes settled on the person’s face, shocked and equal-parts terrified.  
  
“I’ll explain later,” the man said, hurriedly, helping him up on his feet and onto a waiting wheelchair sitting next to his bed. “Right now, we have to go. They’re almost here. I have to get you out before they find us and kill us both. Okay? Okay?”  
  
“O-Oh-chan? Holy sh - is it really you?”  
  
A smile, a small, and quick one, but it was enough. He didn’t care about propriety, not anymore, not now. He was tugging the other man to him and kissing him, moaning at the feel of those perfect lips kissing him back just as eagerly.  
  
But it was over so quickly, because then Ohno was pulling away and literally shoving him to the wheelchair, before snatching the IV fluid bag and throwing it onto his lap.  
  
“Hold on to that, Sensei,” Ohno was muttering as he pushed the wheelchair out of the door, and straight into an emergency door up ahead. “I heard that you need to finish that bag before they discharge you. But this is an emergency so I’m discharging you myself. Okay, here we go.”


	11. Chapter 11

_Yamato, early Spring 1995  
_ _Yamato_

  
  


They didn’t even bother with the ropes, and for that he was glad. They probably thought that since they were asleep anyway, they wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight. But he’d been ready for it, knew it would happen sooner rather than later so he trained himself. His father, though in not so many words, had apologized for what he’d done, but none of it mattered if he was ready to let his son die in the hands of the people he considered holy anyway.

But he would think about that later. After all, he wouldn’t be able to do anything, much more think about what he would do if he was dead, and there was no way he was going to let that happen. He had to get out of here, and fast, so he could go back, hopefully to save his friends. 

To save Kazu.

He could hear the sounds of one of the two men approaching, his heart beating a mile a minute. He was sure they’d dig the graves first, but he could be wrong too, of course. And he had to be ready for the possibilities, no matter how horrible things might turn out to be after this. 

“Let’s just toss them in there,” one of the two that took them said, “They’re all sleeping soundly anyway. They wouldn’t know what’s happening, and by the time they do, it’s probably already too late because they’ll be six feet under the ground already.”

“You want to take that chance, be my guest,” the other returned, sounding obviously unconvinced. “But you will be the one answering the questions if this goes south, because I’ll be hiding. You hear me?”

“Nothing will go south, okay? These kids are practically dead already. What are you even afraid of, one of them waking up and killing us instead? Don’t joke now,” said the other one. 

His chest tightened in answer, the same way his fingers did too around the ice pick he’d been keeping to himself for emergencies such as this. Somehow, he knew this was no longer about whether he could do this or not - he obviously had to, that was out of the question - but it was just the thing about how he would do it successfully. 

The sounds of approaching footsteps alerted him, but the feel of someone’s shoes digging into the back of his head fueled his rage despite his fears. 

“Fine, if that’s how you want to play it. Come help me with this one first.” said the other one, completely unaware; he waited until both were near enough for him to make his move. It took about two, three seconds before he could, before he was digging the sharpened end of his icepick into the other’s left eye in one swift movement, barely hearing him wailing in pain before pulling it out and doing it again, giving the other man left standing there only a few seconds to gape before he was scrambling on the ground and stabbing the other on the leg first to cripple him, before delivering the death blow to his brain soon after.

\---

_Tokyo General Hospital  
_ _Tokyo, Present day_

The sound of an explosion from not so far away followed by the whole building shaking could only mean a handful of things, and he was afraid this one was done more to kill than serve as a distraction. His fingers tightened on the wheelchair’s handle when they stopped, could literally feel the way his heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest in panic when he realized the door he supposed should be there was missing.

“Shit,” 

Nino twisted in his seat to look at him. “What? Are you thinking of pushing me into that wall or something? Please tell me you’re not actually considering -”

“There is supposed to be a door right there,” he countered, pointing, blinking several times hoping to remember the layout of this floor, this entire hospital, but it was proven difficult at the moment. His brain was telling him there should be a door in place of that wall, but it was obviously not there. 

What the fuck?

“A door?” Nino asked, frowned, then shook his head. “Oh, you must be referring to that one that was removed a month ago. This whole floor had been renovated back then, including that one,” Nino said, pointing at the opposite wall. 

“Crap,” he muttered, panic quickly rising in his throat. They couldn’t stay here for long; who knew if the people he saw earlier, the same group of people who were sent to kill Nino would be here any moment. He had to think of a way to get them out of this building, and fast.

“If you’re looking for a way out of here, then go back and take us to the room opposite the one I was occupying before. There’s an emergency exit there. I’ll show you,”

He leaned down and kissed the top of Nino’s head in glee before he could stop himself. 

“You’re wonderful, _Tokai-Sensei_. Now, hang on tight for me, will you? We have to be quick, okay, hold on…”

\---

When he came to, it was to the feel of someone’s hands rolling him onto his back. The pain registered a moment later, found himself groaning when he was finally stretched flat on the ground, hissing. 

Then the memories came right after. The explosion. Aiba shoving him and Sho both on the ground before he lost consciousness. 

“Sho-san? Where -”

“Stay down, don’t move,” a voice he didn’t recognize said, effectively stopping him from calling out for his friends as another person in a familiar uniform stooped down to help. Jun realized then that he was being carefully lifted from the ground, and into a waiting vehicle.

Somehow, Jun found that surprising because, weren’t they supposed to just put them onto a stretcher and straight into the hospital’s entrance? As far as he could remember, the explosion happened at the parking lot of the Tokyo General hospital, just moments after they checked on Nino, so, why did it feel like they were being transported somewhere else?

“H-Hey, wait, where are you taking me?” he croaked, and then squinted at the presence of two more uniformed people attending to him when he was wheeled inside. “W-Where are my friends? There are two others with me, where are they?”

“They’re in another vehicle, Sir, please calm down,” said the woman, right before Jun felt a sting on his arm. After that, Jun felt as if the world was spinning, and calling Sho’s name the last he remembered before sleep consumed him.

\---

Nino had no idea what was happening, and a part of him wanted to be cautious, to just take a moment and reassess the situation, more so the man who was presently helping him out of the wheelchair and into the emergency door he’d shown the man prior. But the other, obviously not-so-sensible part, the part that had been missing Ohno for god-knows-how-long was telling him he’d been right all along. 

The hand that was previously gripping his elbow migrated to his waist, settling an arm around him firmly just as the door shut quietly behind them. Nino tried to rationalize the way he shivered at the contact, but that obviously wouldn’t explain the way he’d reacted earlier either. Kissing this man on sight like he was some kind of a desperate war bride.

The memory alone made him want to weep and blush and hide, but obviously, he couldn’t. 

Holy crap.

“Stairs. Shit,” the man muttered, as he stared at the countless flights of stairs before them. Sure he was expecting that, wasn’t he? The man turned to him and the closeness gave Nino a reason to stare back, uncertain and equal-parts terrified at the sight of him.

“I may need to carry you down, Sensei,” the man murmured, mouth quirking like the idea was entertaining enough to warrant the way he was smirking, rather than the opposite. Surely, he didn’t think it would be easy, carrying a full grown man down that flight of stairs, right?

There were so many things he’d wanted to say, to ask, but he was certain he wouldn’t be able to get the answers to them, not right now at least. Instead, he shrugged and turned his eyes back down to the stairs with a grimace.

“Or I can try and see if my legs are working, how’s that?”

The man shook his head. “I won’t risk it. I’ll carry you on my back until we reach the nearest elevator, or the ground for that matter, I don’t really care. Just...Just trust me, okay? I promise I won’t drop you,”

Nino chuckled; it was seriously not the appropriate reaction to all this, but apparently, he was past the point of caring.

“That’s not really what I’m afraid of right now, if I’m going to be completely honest about it,” he mumbled, barely keeping himself from squeaking when the other man chuckled in turn and pulled him into a quick, tight hug, at the same time he felt something vibrating at the general vicinity of the other man’s crotch.

“Err, I think your dick is ringing,” he face-palmed, mentally hitting himself for coming up with the lewdest comment in the most inappropriate moments, and feeling entirely justified to jump off that flight of stairs the second after. The man simply giggled and squeezed him tight, letting go for just a moment to fish out his phone out of his jean’s pocket before answering the call.

“Yeah?” a pause, a breath; Nino didn’t even need to pretend he wasn’t staring. The other man obviously didn’t mind anyway. Nino watched as the other man’s expression changed, watched the way he scrubbed his face roughly with the palm of his unoccupied hand. 

“Fuck, are you sure? But...you’re sure they’re alive, right?” another tensed silence. Then, “No, just let me know how they are. I can’t... no, there’s no way I’m gonna leave him by himself now that they’re obviously targeting everyone. Keep an eye on them for now, make sure our people are with them twenty-four-seven. I’ll take care of Ninomiya-san first then I’ll come to you. It’s time we put that plan in motion and stop all of these once and for all,” the man hung up after that, pocketed his phone in the same hurried movement before turning back his attention to Nino.

“Kazu, we need to move. I need to get you out of here,”

Nino frowned, reached out to grab the man’s wrist before he could tug him forward.

“Did something happen?”

The man pursed his lips. “Did someone else get hurt?” he insisted, barely able to swallow his rising panic down. It was obvious something horrible had happened; judging with the other man’s reaction, and what Nino heard him say to whoever he was talking to on the phone earlier that there was a possibility it might happen to him too. 

“Kazu, please -”

“Oh my god, that explosion earlier…” he muttered, eyes wide, the wheels in his head turning. His friends - Sho, Jun and Masaki - they were here earlier and…no. _No, no._

The man’s hand caught his face, pulled him forward ever so gently to rest their foreheads together. 

“They’re fine, I promise,” the man said, as if he could very well read Nino’s mind. Nino would have called the other man about it if he wasn’t currently shaking in combined fear and worry. 

“I...I’m not sure the extent of the injuries yet, but Serizawa-san assured me they’re being taken care of as we speak. I promise I’ll do everything in my power to get you to them, but for now, I have to make sure you are safe first. Whoever hurt you and the others, they won’t stop until they know you’re all dead. Until _we’re_ all dead,” the other man said, breathing harshly into the space between their faces and Nino felt the urgency in his words, in the way he held Nino close like this.

“And I’m not going to let them get to you now. I didn’t spend the last couple of years keeping you safe only so they could hurt you.”


	12. Chapter 12

_Yamato, Early Spring 1995  
_ _Yamato_

He did his best not to be seen, hiding in the dark like a common criminal. But that wasn’t just a mere thought now, he mused bitterly, feeling his hands tingling at the memory of the way the life bled out of the two men he’d killed tonight.

 _They would have killed you if you didn’t; you did it to save yourself_ , didn’t sound so hollow even now, but he knew it was the truth.

He shouldn’t even come back here, knowing the dangers. He might have buried the men sent to kill him and the others in their place but who knew if someone else were here to make sure they did the job? He’s risking his life being here, but he knew he had to do it. He had to go back.

For Kazu.

The building’s back door was locked, but that wasn’t entirely a problem if one knew where the building’s caretaker was keeping the spare. It didn’t even take him minutes to find it and use it to unlock the door, locking it behind him again the moment after.

Getting from there to the fifth floor was a grueling task, especially when he had to do it carefully and as quietly as he could manage it. When he got near enough to Kazu’s family’s apartment, he stopped, hearing a woman’s voice speaking from just outside the door.

He peeked from where he’d hid himself and realized it was Kazu’s mother, talking on the phone.

And what he heard had made the hairs at the back of his neck stand on end, his knees shaking he was afraid he was going to fall down in combined shock and torment.

“It’s done,” Kazu’s mother had said, “They took the children, just as you told me. It’s over. It’s over now. Please, don’t talk to me about this again. Please.”

  
  


\---

_Tokyo General Hospital  
_ _Tokyo, Present day_

  
  


“Can you trust me?”

Nino said nothing, but the way his fingers closed tightly around his wrist told him enough. The gesture was so familiar that for a moment there, he was transported back to the past, to that moment at the rooftop, just him and Nino. When he’d reached for Nino’s hand and tugged him closer, terrified that it would be the last time that he would be able to.

The first time he’d forgotten where they were, who they were when he’d kissed him.

The knot in his chest came back stronger this time around, the need to protect Nino even more so. He could feel Nino shaking against him, could feel the way he was trying to calm himself by breathing, quiet as he struggled to pull himself together despite the difficulty.

He would take it all away if he could, suffer in Nino’s place if he could, if only to save Nino this pain but he knew that he couldn’t. There was only so much he could do for him, but he vowed that he’d do everything to keep Nino safe.

He couldn’t do so before, but he promised that wouldn’t be the case now.

He stepped closer, one arm around Nino’s waist from behind and the other he wormed around the back of Nino’s head. He pulled Nino to him and put his lips against the side of Nino’s temple, breathing softly, gentle and careful.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Kazu,” he murmured, meaning every single word. “All I ask is for you to trust me. Can you do that?”

A pause, a breath, and the slight tilt of Nino’s head that almost went unnoticed, but he felt it just the same. He smiled through the emotion that lodged itself in his throat, pulling Nino to him closer and closer still.

“Thank you.” he murmured, fishing out his phone to call the cavalry.

\--

There weren’t many words shared between them after that, and it was simply because there wasn’t any chance for them to talk. Immediately after the other man ended the call, Nino realized he’d been lifted from the floor and into the other man’s arms, bridal-style, embarrassing as it was, and whatever complaints he would have voiced out in normal circumstances had simply died in his throat the second the other man started his descent down the stairs.

“Just until we’ve reached the next floor,” he heard the man say moments later, shifting Nino’s weight as Nino held on around the man’s shoulder for dear life. “Someone’s already waiting for us there. We could have done that earlier but I suspect it might take longer for our men to get to this floor, so I thought it would be better to improvise,”

Nino had no chance to ask what the other meant by it because then they'd stopped, and Nino realized he was being put back down to stand on his own two feet again.

“Still with me, Tokai-sensei?” the other man asked.

All Nino could do was nod.

\--

The next moments were a blur, and Nino honestly didn’t know how to keep up with it. The last he remembered after the other man had put him down was being carefully backed against the wall, and the other man stepping forward to hug him quickly. After that, he was told to stay put, watching the other man’s back as he disappeared out of the emergency exit door.

And then the sounds of commotion, people shouting from outside the door, and the next thing he knew, Ohno was back and was helping him into another wheelchair, pushing the door open to reveal the chaos outside. The once quiet and orderly hospital hallway was littered with people and hospital staff, watching in horror as a group of uniformed men were shoving civilians face-first into the floor, shouting and ordering them to stay down at the same time their arms were being cuffed behind their backs.

There wasn’t enough time to idle about, though, because then Ohno was wheeling him around, Ohno’s movements were quick as he pushed him out of the emergency exit door without pausing, but not before throwing his jacket over Nino’s head to cover his face.

And now he was here, sitting next to the man he’d thought he wouldn’t ever get to see ever again, in the car, as he drove quietly past familiar roads and buildings, hand clutching Nino’s own on his lap.

Nino wondered where they were going, but that was honestly the least of his concerns right now.

“You have questions, I know,” Ohno murmured as if on cue, startling Nino. Somehow, it honestly felt like a normal occurrence now, Ohno startled him by literally putting Nino’s thoughts into words ever since that moment in the hospital when Ohno appeared and turned Nino’s life around.

“But I would prefer it better if I answer them later, at least once I’m certain you’re comfortable,” Ohno said, quickly giving him a glance and wincing. “That hospital robe, though it looks good on you, I swear, doesn’t seem too comfortable, if you know what I’m saying,”

Nino looked down on himself and shrugged, only remembering belatedly where the IV bag had gone now that he realized it was missing. His gaze darted to his other hand resting on Ohno’s lap, and felt his face burned at the sight of it.

“I get what you mean, but it’s not like I’ve planned to strut around wearing this. You didn’t exactly give me a chance to change before you dragged me out,” he said, as he tried to tug his hand free. Ohno didn’t let him.

“And I may need that hand back at some point, Oh-chan, okay,” he muttered, without heat, blushing harder when Ohno turned so quickly towards him in answer.

“What?”

“You called me Oh-chan,” Ohno murmured, lips twitching. “Well, that's the second time today but still I...That’s surprising; well, I thought you already forgot. I mean -”

He chuckled loud enough to make Ohno pause, let Ohno see the way he eyed the other man closely before he looked away.

“You’ve been on my mind every day for the past twenty-five years, Oh-chan,” he whispered, and it was a confession and an apology, and maybe something more if it wasn’t so difficult to put his thoughts into words now that he was here with Ohno, when he never thought it would even be possible hours before.

“So, no; I have never forgotten you or your face, your voice or how your eyes crinkle like that when I refer to you with that name. I never did, okay? I’ve never once forgotten, Oh-chan, even when I thought I wouldn’t ever see you again.”

\---

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t surprised, but it would be kind of pointless to deny what was obvious. They’d been children then, yes, but it didn’t change the fact that they’ve always been more than friends, that they’ve always been more to each other than they’ve dared to admit.

And it didn’t matter whether they thought they'd lost each other that night, more than twenty five years ago, because now, years and years later, they’re here, and they’ve found each other again.

He gripped Nino’s hand and swallowed through the lump that lodged itself in his throat, giving Nino a sideway glance. He opened his mouth to talk, but Nino beat him to it.

“I know we’d have to talk about that too, and we will, I promise, but not until you tell me what really happened. How you’re here now and what’s your involvement in all of this. And how about our friends? I need to know if they’re okay, Oh-chan, please,” Nino’s voice was pleading, and his eyes showed a myriad of emotions he could hardly stand to look.

“I’ll take you to the hospital where they’re being treated, but are you sure you’ll be okay?” he asked, just to be sure.

“I will be,” Nino answered, firmly. “I just...I need to see them, Oh-chan,” Nino pointed out. “And while we’re on our way, you can start telling me about the other stuff I asked you about,”

He sighed and squeezed Nino’s hand, allowing himself a moment to reconsider his words and his actions before he nodded.

“Where do you want me to start?”

Nino’s breath whooshed out of him in a rush, and Ohno felt more than heard it as he threaded their fingers together.

“From the beginning,” Nino murmured, “I need you to tell me what happened from the night we thought you died, Oh-chan.”

\---

_Undisclosed hospital in Tokyo  
_ _Tokyo, Present day_

Nino couldn’t - didn’t want to imagine the horrors Ohno might have suffered from that night on, but it was hard. Every word felt like a dagger to the chest, an added burden to the existing pain he’d been carrying in his heart from the night he left Yamato.

To his credit, Ohno didn’t seem that much affected anymore, but it was a completely different matter for Nino. Learning about all these was making his chest hurt in the worst way possible, knowing that there was no way he could have undo the past no matter how much he wanted to.

“We shouldn’t...we shouldn’t have left you there,” he croaked, in which Ohno answered with just a slight shake of his head.

“I’m glad you did, because I wouldn’t have been able to save you all by myself, even if I tried,”

“You don’t know that, Oh-chan,” he insisted, only vaguely noticing Ohno maneuvering the car straight into basement parking. Ohno said nothing, still didn’t say anything as he parked the car into the first available space, killed the engine and turned to face Nino.

“There are things we can’t change anymore, Kazu, and I swear I’m okay with that,” he said, hand finding Nino’s cheek. “But it’s not to say that it made living through that nightmare easy because it wasn’t. I thought you died that night too, you see, and I had to spend the next several years grieving for you. But the universe obviously had other plans, because when I thought I’ve finally accepted the reality that I won’t be able to see you and hold you again, it brought me right where you are. Right in the place that I never thought you would be,”

“What? What do you mean?”

Ohno offered him a smile here and pulled him closer, pressed a soft, lingering kiss to the side of his lips.

“Matsumoto Jun and I trained in the LTRI together, under Serizawa-san’s guidance. Although Serizawa-san never once showed his face during the long-year training because he preferred it that way, and I guess that explains why your good friend doesn’t remember him. Or me, for that matter,” Ohno said, chuckled when he frowned harder in answer. He’s not sure what Ohno was referring to, really, and he might probably need to ask Jun about it just to clarify.

“I saw you with him on the day we got the result of the training,” Ohno followed, “We passed. That day, we were officially lawyers. But while the others were celebrating their success, I was preoccupied with something else. I was busy following you, telling myself I was hallucinating even when you’re really there. It took me weeks to find everything I could about you, and the others. I swear I would have gone to you then, and I almost did, Kazu, I almost did, but soon after I realized that I shouldn’t. I thought I did the right thing then, to keep you all safe. Until we found out that you might eventually expose yourself by asking your friends for help after the mass grave’s discovery. It was then that I realized I was wrong. None of us would ever be safe until the people we are still trying to run away from are still here and hunting us down.”

\---

They were quiet after that, and Ohno figured that was to be expected too. It was a lot to take in, and not even their shared joy upon finding each other alive after years of thinking they weren’t wouldn’t change it.

“My mother was the one who sent us away that night,” it was Nino who still broke the silence after a while, his expression pinched. “Someone came and took us, though I never did manage to find out how she was able to do that. I have not seen her or talked to her since she came to see us after my father’s arrest,”

He nodded. “I know,” he said, “I found out about that from her,”

“You did? You talked to her?”

He nodded again. This was something he knew he had no right to say - he promised the older woman before when he’d found her - but he knew it was the right thing to do. He knew her reason for not letting her children know where she was had been purely done out of guilt, but it wasn’t her fault and she did her best to save her children from harm, at the very least.

“Does this mean you know where she is?” Nino quickly followed.

“Yes,” he answered.

“If I ask you to take me to her, will you?”

“Of course, Kazu,” he returned, softly. He swallowed and pulled Nino to him, knowing he was going to break Nino’s heart once again by agreeing. 

Nino pulled away after a moment to look at him. Then, he asked, “What about my father?”

The question caught him off-guard. “What about him?”

Nino’s eyes were narrowed. “You said you talked to my mother, so I’m guessing that you might have talked to my father too. Did you?”

He paused, then realized there was no point in keeping that a secret anyway, so he nodded.

“Okay, so what did he say? Did he apologize for what he did? For the people he killed? For almost getting us killed?” Nino asked, “You know I was actually planning on meeting him, to talk to him. I thought I could do it to ask information, but -”

“Please don’t,” he said, cutting in. The urgency in his voice must have mirrored the look on his face, because then Nino was frowning at him in return.

“What?”

He shook his head. “Please don’t...don’t go. Don't see him,” he said, “Because he didn’t know that you and your sister were alive, until today. That was my fault, I know, but I had no idea he would do the unthinkable after we’ve talked. And I have reasons to believe that he was still in contact with the cult members who aren’t in prison, like him. The same people who wanted us dead, and the same people who sent those men earlier to kill you.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, forgive me for the horrible delay. RL is to be blamed, but mostly it's my lost motivation too. And keeping up with Arashi, of course. The guys aren't letting any of us breathe before they're announcing something again. Ugh. Anyway, the next one will come sooner. I hope.
> 
> Again, I'm sorry.

_ Undisclosed hospital in Tokyo  
_ _ Tokyo, Present day _

Nino supposed it ought to shock him, hearing that. But somehow, he wasn’t. He guessed it had to do with the fact that he had years to come to terms with it all, of everything that had happened to him and his sister, his mother, everything they had to endure from the moment they set foot in Yamato until that night they got out, he and his sister, all because of his father and his father’s choices.

The years they spent in hiding didn’t hold much now that they’ve been found out. It was evident in the way he’d almost been killed twice in a row now that whoever was behind it obviously had no plans on stopping until they were done. 

And it sure looked like it wasn’t over yet.

“When you met him, did you talk to him?” he said, and it was a statement rather than a question. Ohno nodded, hand still gripping Nino’s own. 

“I did, but he made sure it stayed one-sided. The conversation, I mean,” said Ohno, then, “It was a mistake,” Ohno murmured, apologetic; Nino wanted to tell him it wasn’t his fault but before he could, Ohno was speaking again, pulling at their joined hands and using his other free hand to cup Nino’s cheek. “I thought I would be doing the right thing, that talking to him would help, but I was wrong. Your father’s misguided beliefs, like the others who served the Leader with him, they’re the reason why we have suffered, why we’re still suffering. I thought I could persuade him to give up the names of those who wanted us dead, but obviously I was wrong.” Ohno breathed. “I have a feeling they had me followed. I should have been more careful. Your friends were almost killed because of me,”

“Oh-chan, you didn’t know, okay? It wasn’t your fault.”

Ohno shook his head. “I should have known better,” he muttered, “But all I thought of after I talked to your father was to make sure you’re safe. On one hand, I’m glad I did, because who knew what might have happened if I didn’t? They would have found out where you were anyway. I just...I didn’t count on them finding out your friends would be there, too.”

“I’m not worried about that, I swear,” he said, shaking his head and meaning it. “You came just in time to save us, Oh-chan. That’s what’s important.”

“This time, yes,” Ohno countered, fingertip stroking Nino’s cheek softly. “But what if it’s not the case the next time they try again? I can’t...I won’t be able to forgive myself if that happens, Kazu.”

He released the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, eyes on Ohno’s face. He had years to come to terms with this, too, and somehow, his thoughts drifted to this moment, of him and Ohno here, together, despite the dangers looming over their heads. Being here, surrounded by Ohno’s presence, it was easier to hope they’d make it through somehow.

“Then, let’s end this,” he said, pulling Ohno to him. The look on Ohno’s face made the knots in Nino’s chest tight, but it was different this time around. Looking at Ohno now made Nino realize so many things, one that involved wanting a different life with him and Ohno in it. 

“Kazu,”

“You said it yourself, right?” he whispered, closing his eyes and leaning further into Ohno’s hand. He still needed time to get used to this, to be fully convinced that this was really happening. He hoped Ohno would indulge him with it, be patient with him at times when he was plagued with doubts because of the circumstances. 

“They won’t stop until they’ve killed us all,” he added, leaning over until he had his face buried against the front of Ohno’s chest. 

Clinging, he breathed deeply and held on. “Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen, Oh-chan. Tell us what you need, how we can help. Please.”

\--

Aiba and Sho were asleep when they arrived, but Matsumoto Jun, thankfully, was not. 

The injuries did nothing to hide the other man’s rage, and Ohno guessed it couldn’t be helped. The surprise upon Nino telling Jun who he was didn’t escape him either, nor the accompanying sputtering the moment after.

“But but...his name was on the list!” Jun pointed, wincing at the gesture. Nino snorted and told his friend to quit moving so much lest his injuries might get worse, but Jun obviously wasn’t done yet. 

“We thought you were dead!”

He saw Nino’s answering eye roll at that. “That should be my line, Sensei, don’t you think?” Nino said, shaking his head and smiling. “Come on, try to calm down, will you? I could tell your blood pressure’s off the roof, and you look like you’re going to pop a blood vessel and die. Seriously, calm down,”

“Easy for you to say, Nino -”

“I know, okay?” Nino countered, cutting Jun off. “But that’s not what’s important right now. Obviously, this -” Nino gestured towards Jun, as if pointing out the obvious. “Is what we should be worrying about now. You almost died yourself, you realize, and because of what? Because somehow, those bastards who’d wanted us dead have finally caught up to us. Jesus, you’re lucky they stupidly bombed someone else’s car or you wouldn’t have come out from it in one piece!”

“Could you not remind me of that, please?” Jun grunted, “Because I honestly want to think of it as stupidity instead of luck. Those fuckers are seriously going to pay for this, I swear to you,”

Nino shifted on the wheelchair and nodded at Jun. “That’s the plan,” Nino said, before turning to him. There was something behind those eyes that reminded him of a past long gone, feeling like he was staring right into the eyes of that fourteen-year-old boy for the first time. His heart clearly still wasn’t immune to it, feeling the way his pulse skyrocketed when Nino gazed at him and offered him a smile.

“Ohno-san here promised he would help,” Nino added, “Right?”

He nodded, in lieu of a verbal reply knowing that he might only end up embarrassing himself if he did. He turned to give Matsumoto Jun a look and nodded. 

“I promise we’ll talk about it next time,” he said, hoping the other man would understand. He’d been eyeing Nino since earlier, and he had a feeling Nino had been in pain and was just trying not to show it. Matsumoto Jun seemed to catch on anyway, nodding back. 

“Yeah, preferably when those two idiots are awake,” Matsumoto Jun said, clearly referring to Sakurai and Aiba. “I have no patience to explain things in detail, especially things about you and your involvement in all this so I’m hoping you’ll do that part yourself, Ohno-san. For now,” he paused here to point at Nino with a shake of his head, and said, “get him out of here, or make someone poke him with something because seriously, look at him. He’s been trying not to wince in pain, but it’s obviously not working.”

Nino frowned at that, clearly feigning innocence. “What? I’m not -”

“Yes, you are, Ninomiya,” Matsumoto Jun cut in, before Nino could even finish. He felt like laughing, seeing how good Matsumoto Jun was at keeping Nino on his toes. It was the kind of friendship he envied, for he had no one like Matsumoto Jun in his life ever since he’d left Yamato. The closest he had for friends were Nino and Aiba, but unforeseen circumstances separated them from one another. 

Until now.

“And don’t argue, please. I know I look like shit, but between the two of us, you’re worse. Please let Ohno-san help you or I’m strapping you to a hospital bed myself. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I’m fine!” Nino insisted, even when he stepped forward to stand next to Nino, worming an arm around Nino’s waist as Matsumoto Jun chuckled and shifted to get comfortable. 

“Yeah, Nino, keep telling yourself that,” Matsumoto Jun said, eyeing Nino teasingly. Then he shifted his attention to him, turning serious all of a sudden. 

“He’s all yours now, Ohno-san. Please make sure to bring him back here in one piece or I won’t be held responsible for when the love of my life decides to hunt you down for hurting his favorite friend. You’ll meet him soon, of course, if you promise to be good.”

He could very well hear the sound of Nino’s answering eyeroll at that and he smiled, squeezing Nino’s hip lightly as he guided them both towards the direction of the door.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Matsumoto-san.”

\--

_ The Tokyo Towers Midtower  
_ _ Kachidoki, Chuo-ku, Tokyo  
_ __ Tokyo, Present day

The drive from the hospital to Ohno’s apartment was quiet and, if Nino was going to be honest about it, kind of awkward, though he guessed that couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t like he’d insisted on being taken home - just the thought of it was enough to make him blush furiously - and it wasn’t like Ohno said the same thing out loud either. Obviously, that was to be expected, given the circumstances. Nino couldn’t exactly go home after the bombing incident in his apartment, and he also couldn’t go to his friends’ house to stay there because they were all in the hospital, recuperating.

The only logical choice was, obviously, to go where Ohno would take him to.

They were in the elevator on their way up to Ohno’s apartment floor when he decided to break the silence, eyeing Ohno through their reflection on the elevator’s door. 

“I can’t believe you told the doctor I should stay in the hospital,” he chuckled, half-hearted at best because Ohno looked embarrassed enough as it was. He figured he should say something to stave off the awkward air between them, half-hoping he wasn’t going to make things worse instead.

That clearly prompted Ohno to look up, and smiled back despite his obvious uneasiness. Nino chuckled despite himself. 

“But maybe you’re right to suggest that I stay there,” he commented blithely, “I mean, I understand if you’d rather leave me there in the hospital than take me home with you.”

Ohno looked surprised for a moment, and then shook his head and frowned. Nino noted the way his ears turned red, and he looked as though he’d been doused with cold water. It wasn’t embarrassment per se, but something else.

“I’m sorry if that’s how I look to you,” Ohno said, voice low. “But you must know that that’s the last thing in my mind when I suggested it. I was worried about you, so I thought it might be best that you stay there where they could take care of you better. I did kidnap you from the hospital earlier, after all. But if the doctor agreed to admit you there, I hope you know that I have no intention of leaving you there by yourself.”

Nino looked away. “Well, that doesn’t look that way to me, if you know what I’m saying.”

A beat, and Nino felt himself shivered when Ohno’s hand migrated to the small of his back at the same time the elevator dinged and slowed to a stop. Ohno’s warm breath followed, hitting the side of Nino’s neck and Nino trembled on cue, feeling the hairs at the back of his head standing on end.

“You’re wrong, Kazu,” Ohno murmured, just as the elevator door opened, Ohno taking a step forward and guiding Nino out. Nino stopped, and Ohno did, too. 

The look Ohno gave him then was part-frustrated and equal-parts awed, fingers finding his jaw and settling there.

“Tell me,” Nino whispered, as Ohno backed him against the elevator’s wall, it’s door swaying shut.

“God knows I’m trying, but it’s been so long and you being here isn’t helping. I ache for you, more than you ever know, but that’s the last thing I should be thinking about right now, but god, it’s hard. It’s - I don’t think I’m strong enough to resist you now, Kazu.”

Nino gasped, sharp and sudden, at the feel of Ohno’s lips to the side of his mouth, warm and seeking, but still trying his best not to give in to the urge. Nino’s fingers itched to touch, to discover more, but the elevator’s hardly the place.

He pulled Ohno to him and kissed him quick, pulled away just as quickly despite the whining noises Ohno made afterward.

“Then, don’t,” he whispered. “You don’t have to anymore, Oh-chan. I’m here now. I’m all yours, remember?”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, 10 days later, here's another part. I'm sorry!

_Undisclosed hospital in Tokyo  
_ _Tokyo, Present day_

As expected, Sho didn’t look particularly pleased hearing about Nino’s untimely visit while he was knocked out cold in the other room. Jun supposed it was unsurprising, given the seriousness of the situation.

“And you simply let them walk out of here, just like that?” Sho rasped, frowning hard and wincing. Jun ached just looking at him. God, he swore he would get the bastards that did this to Sho, to Aiba and himself and he would make sure they would regret it for the rest of their lives. The wash of renewed rage was overwhelming, Jun had to look away from Sho to collect himself despite the difficulty.

“Jun, talk to me,” Sho continued, prompting him that Jun had no choice but to lift his head and looked at Sho.

“What were you thinking, huh? Letting some stranger waltz out of here with our friend in tow. I mean, we don’t even know if he is who he claimed he is. What if he’s one of those bad guys who are after Nino? The same people who did this to us?”

Jun clenched his jaw, remembering meeting that man Nino introduced as Ohno Satoshi-san earlier. A part of him knew he had seen that man before, but he couldn’t recall it clearly. The man introduced himself as Enomoto Kei; said that he’d been adopted, too.

The unspoken ‘we’ve all had to go through the same thing’ remained unsaid, and Jun chose to leave it at that knowing that it was better that way.

“Jun?”

Jun turned to look at Sho and shook his head. “Sho-san, you’re making it sound like Nino’s too stupid not to realize it if that’s the case,” he quipped, hoping he didn’t sound as uncertain as he felt. Part of him knew there was something odd about that guy Nino came with earlier, the other part was quietly hoping he was wrong.

It wasn’t about doubting the guy’s identity per se, because god knew he trusted Nino enough to know that he wasn’t wrong about the guy he went away with. Common sense also told him that if the guy wanted Nino dead, he could have done so sooner; he didn’t have to drive around town with Nino sitting next to him in his car, didn’t have to visit the hospital Nino’s friends ended up in after an explosion almost blasted them to pieces just to reassure Nino they were fine.

“I mean, this is Nino we’re talking about here,” he insisted. “Nino is good at reading people, you of all people know that.”

“And what if he’s wrong?” Sho countered. “Nino’s been looking for this guy almost all of his adult life, Jun. It’s not surprising if it turns out they’re just tricking him, to make Nino think he’s finally found his friend.”

Jun rolled his eyes, hearing that. Really, sometimes, he wanted to feel bad for Nino, given the way they’ve all been treating him, all three of them, like Nino was a child who had to be taken care of everytime. It must be annoying, being smothered every goddamn time, despite the fact that Nino was a grown man, a doctor, for crying out loud, because Jun wouldn’t have been so indulging if it was him.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I can assure you that it’s not gonna happen, Sho-san,” he said. “Nino’s not an idiot, for god’s sake.”

“You don’t know that.” Sho insisted.

Jun opened his mouth to talk, but Aiba beat him to it. “You remember what he looks like, yes?”

He chuckled and pointed at the cameras that had been setup conveniently around the room. All four of them. “Of course. I can sketch his face out for you if you want, but I bet those cameras captured it just fine.” he said, then shook his head when he remembered something.

“You can’t expect them to just agree to let you look at those camera feeds, Jun,” Sho cut in, “I’m sure you need a certain document, maybe a court order to present to them so you could get them to agree.”

Jun shook his head in answer, wondering if he should call out Sho to ask him what in hell’s up his ass, seriously. Jun knew Sho had his reasons for acting like a total prick right now, but he couldn’t help but feel like Sho had been mocking his intelligence just because he’d allowed Nino and his long-lost-but-recently-been-found first love to go on their merry way without informing Sho about it.

Still, he did his best to be - nice. And forgiving.

At least for now.

“I know that, Sho-san,” he sighed, giving Sho a look. He smirked when Sho frowned at him in answer. “But I think you keep on forgetting that you’re talking to a lawyer. And to a detective, for that matter,” he said, gesturing towards Aiba who looked thoughtful as he sat quietly on the wheelchair next to Sho’s bed.

“And that a court order or five isn’t that hard to procure when you know what to do.”

“Conceited, aren’t you?” Sho returned, amused.

He shrugged. “Just trying to remind you that I’m not an idiot, either. Now, I know you’re just worried, but I’m telling you, you don’t have to be. Nino is safe, that I can assure you.”

Sho tilted his head, unrelenting. “I get what you’re saying, Jun, but please, try to understand. If you were in my position, you won’t rest easy until you’ve seen Nino with your own two eyes as well. It just happened that you’re the only one awake when he happened to come over for a visit, just as you said,” Sho explained.

“I can’t say the same for myself, though.”

Jun sighed, not bothering hiding his exasperation from Sho. “Fine, I’ll call him.” he said, knowing that it was the only thing Sho had been waiting to hear.

“Tell him we wish to see him, and his friend, if it’s okay.”

“I’ll try my best, Sho-san.”

“Jun,”

Jun sighed. “Okay, okay.”

“Thank you.”

\---

_The Tokyo Towers Midtower  
_ _Kachidoki, Chuo-ku, Tokyo  
_ _Tokyo, Present day_

They’re inside the apartment, kissing by the door when his phone rang, startling them both and prompting them to separate. Ohno was breathing harshly, his gaze dark and hungry that Nino found it difficult to look away. The sexual tension between them was palpable. Nino knew it would be difficult to turn away from it, especially now that they’re in the privacy of Ohno’s home, alone and unable to keep their hands off each other long enough to answer Ohno’s goddamn phone.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?” he whispered, hoping he didn’t sound as shaky as he felt. His hands were shaking as he balled them into fists, watching Ohno watch him, licked his suddenly dry lips knowing Ohno’s eyes were tracking the movement closely.

He cleared his throat when Ohno said nothing. “Must be...must be important,” he wheezed, reaching out and grabbing Ohno’s hips in the process.

Ohno swore under his breath Nino barely heard him, squeaking when Ohno backed him into the door and pounced.

\--

_“We’ve arranged for him to be put under maximum security, just as you asked,_ ” Serizawa-sensei informed him casually from the other line, sounding surprisingly awake given the lateness of the hour. Ohno knew the older lawyer preferred going to bed before nine every night, but he’d been unexpectedly occupied hours earlier to answer when Serizawa-sensei called.

“And?”

 _“Well, you were right. Two of the guys that were arrested in the hospital visited Ninomiya-san right after you did. That's a clear connection right there, Kei-chan._ ”

“I’m surprised the prison warden agreed to your request right away, or did you have to use your connections to make that happen?”

 _“One of those things happened, yes, but you know that already. Still, what matters is that we got things in prison under control now. Ninomiya won’t be talking to anybody until the date of his execution arrives_.”

He gingerly stepped out of the bedroom, careful not to make any unnecessary noises so he wouldn’t wake Nino, but not before throwing Nino’s sleeping form on the bed one last glance, that overwhelming feeling of warmth and protectiveness settling over him like second skin. The desire was, too, but he’d have to rein in it for Nino’s sake, knowing how weak the other man still was after the incident, not to mention today’s happenings too.

“Thank you, Sensei,” he said when he’d closed the door behind him as quietly as he could manage it, before walking the short way towards the darkened living room. He didn’t bother turning the lights on as he walked, knowing his way around the apartment as he navigated through the semi-darkness.

“And those people that were arrested at the hospital earlier?” he asked, once he’d sat down on the couch he and Nino had spent the first half hour of their arrival in the apartment earlier making out like horny teenagers. The memory made his smile, and blush, glad that the older lawyer wasn’t here to see how he was acting like a stupid teenager in front of his crush.

“ _Sleeping in jail tonight, obviously,_ ” Serizawa-san replied quickly, without even a hint of mockery in his tone. “ _Probably in the next coming years too, since we’ve already filed a case against them as soon as they were in custody. Two of them confessed right away, probably because they realized there was no way they were getting out anytime soon and selling out whoever masterminded the attack in the hospital earlier would lessen their jail time.”_

“Which isn’t going to happen,” he said, “Right?”

 _“Of course._ ”

“Did they mention any names?”

“ _Yes,_ ” Serizawa-san answered. “ _And you’re not going to like it_.”

“Why?”

“ _Because Kei-chan,_ ” Serizawa-san said, pausing for a moment. “ _It looks like your father is one of them._ ”

\---

To say that he was surprised was an understatement. He stiffened, fingers tightening around their grip on his phone as he let that knowledge sink in.

His father...is alive?

 _“We’re still verifying this, but both guys who confessed have said the same thing. They were tasked to follow you, and to make sure they eliminated you for good, together with whoever you’re with. They said it was Ohno Tomoya they were talking to on the phone, giving them the instructions. Ohno Tomoya’s your father’s name, right?_ ” Serizawa-san said, confirming it rather than asking him whether this was the case or not.

Ohno squeezed his eyes shut and reached up to massage his suddenly throbbing temple, momentarily unable to come up with an answer. For years, he had been wondering where his father had gone to, after the events that lead to the arrest of the group that carried out the attack in Tokyo, knowing that his old man wasn't directly involved in it. He wasn’t in Yamato when the authorities raided the congregation’s base either, so it was most likely that he’d gone into hiding or died.

He honestly didn’t expect his father would still be an active member of the now-supposedly-defunct religion after so many years.

“ _Kei-chan?_ ” Serizawa-san prompted, when Ohno didn’t answer.

“Yeah,” he said, quickly. “Yeah, I’m still here. Sorry.”

A beat. “ _I know this is a lot to take in, but let’s hope that through this information, we will finally be able to locate the rest of the members that weren’t arrested before. At least those that were involved with the murders, before and now._ ”

He sighed. “I’m guessing that means you’ve managed to squeeze out the location from those two that confessed? Or am I being too presumptuous?”

Serizawa-san sounded like he was smiling when he answered. “ _No, but I bet you already know that. That’s actually one of the reasons why I was calling you earlier, to inform you that the entrapment operation is happening tonight. We would have done it sooner, but the location’s the last thing we’ve managed to get from one of the two. I’ve asked Maruyama-kun and Chiba-chan to be there so they could report back to me as soon as the entrapment begins. We’ll know how it goes once they call.”_

“It sure sounded like you’ve been busy too, Sensei.” he joked, though it was difficult to mask the overwhelming wash of gratitude he had for the older lawyer. It was a recurring thing now, to be honest, but he felt like he still wasn’t used to it.

Serizawa-san’s partner, Naruse Ryota, was the one who’d adopted him, but it was Serizawa Go who’d been like a real father to him all these years. The one who’d helped make all those normally impossible requests happen, like helping him fake his own death and creating multiple identities he could use to get to places, to do things one normally wouldn’t be able to.

“ _Yes. But I’m not complaining, Kei-chan. I like what we’re doing, really._ ”

He breathed, hearing that, relief and gratitude mingling.

“I know,” he said after a moment, “And I also know I’ve thanked you so many times that it might sound redundant already, but really, thank you. Thank you so much.”

“ _You’re welcome, but sorry to disappoint, Kei-chan, because I didn’t do all that just for you.”_ the older lawyer returned matter-of-factly. Ohno acknowledged that with a hum, because, well, he knew.

The older lawyer didn’t like talking about it, but when he did the first time, Ohno realized the heartbreak right away, the anger behind the usually comic facade. Serizawa-san’s son was one of the many lives that were lost in the Tokyo attack that fateful day, so he, too, had as much reason to take down the congregation, and the remaining members of the cult that took his son’s life. Hearing about it the first time made Ohno feel like he was responsible for it too, but the older lawyer assured him he shouldn’t be.

He was his father’s son, but his father’s sins weren’t his to carry. Ohno kept that in his heart, and vowed to bring the people responsible for Serizawa-san son’s death to justice.

“ _And anyway, that’s just half of the things I’ve wanted to talk to you about_ ,” Serizawa-san said, prompting Ohno to frown in confusion afterward.

“What do you mean, Sensei?” he countered, confused and equal-parts worried. “Did something else happen?”

“ _Well, yeah. It’s about your friends at the hospital_ ,” Serizawa-san said. “ _I’m guessing you weren’t able to talk to all of them when you and Tokai-sensei dropped by earlier to see them._ ”

Ohno frowned harder, thinking if something did happen to any of the three when they left.

“No, we didn’t. We only talked briefly to Miyama-san. The other two were sleeping. Why, did something happen?”

All of a sudden, Serizawa-san sounded very tired when he answered.

“ _Well, they asked, uh, demanded probably is the right word, that you go see them tomorrow, first thing in the morning, preferably with Tokai-sensei in tow. Actually, they want you to go back there tonight, but I told them it’s not going to be possible. One of the two, Sakurai-san, I think, was furious that you took Tokai-sensei with you._ ”

He chuckled, helplessly amused. To be fair, he understood Sakurai Sho’s reaction. That only meant they cared for Nino more than they would dared to admit, and that was something he knew he would always be grateful for.

“I’ll take care of it tomorrow, Sensei.” he promised.

Serizawa-san hummed approvingly from the other end. “ _Goodnight, Kei-chan_.”

“I’ll see you soon, Serizawa-sensei.”

\--

“Oh-chan, what’s wrong?” It was Nino’s voice that prompted him to turn around, finding the other man standing by the bedroom’s opened door, wearing Ohno’s shirt with his arms crossed over his chest. Ohno didn’t notice him standing there.

“Oh, sorry, did I wake you?” he asked as he tossed his phone on the nearby coffee table, before crossing the short distance between himself and Nino. He stopped when he was close enough to look Nino over, apologetic and equal-parts glad seeing Nino blinking back at him through the semi-darkness as if he always belonged there.

Nino looked sleep-deprived, hair disheveled but still mouth-wateringly beautiful as he surveyed Nino over. The wash of warmth was overwhelming, he found it difficult to keep his hands to himself as he reached over to cup Nino’s cheek.

Nino’s eyes fluttered close and shook his head. “No. I stirred and realized you weren’t there anymore so I thought I’d go and look for you,” Nino whispered, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Nothing that should worry you, I promise,” he countered, softly, stepping forward to close distance between him and Nino and pulling Nino to him. “Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”

Nino shook his head once again, before Ohno realized Nino was pulling away just far enough so he could look Ohno over, too.

“I’m not sleepy anymore,” Nino said, fingers warm around Ohno’s wrist. “I’d rather you talk to me about yourself for now, if that’s okay.”

He lifted the hand Nino was gripping and ducked to drop a soft kiss to the backs of Nino’s hand, nuzzling it for a moment before he raised his head to look at Nino.

“I thought I already did, earlier, you remember?”

Nino shook his head. “I have a feeling that’s not all of it, though.”

Ohno gave Nino a look. “What...What do you mean?”

Nino pushed forward until they were almost nose to nose, and Nino worked his hand around the back of his neck to pull him close, closer. There was curiosity in Nino’s eyes, but there’s kindness and trust in there too.

“I’ve only heard you introduce yourself as Enomoto Kei-san, but,” Nino paused here, fingers caressing his cheek. “You haven’t told me if he’s the lawyer one or whatever the hell the other one is. I know it shouldn’t matter because you’re still Ohno Satoshi to me, but I just...I want to know, Oh-chan,”

“Please?”

Nino leaned forward and rubbed their noses together, the action was both charming and affectionate that Ohno’s insides melted with it.

He chuckled and tugged Nino to him, and dropped a quick kiss to his lips.

“Should I make us something to drink first, then?” he asked, still mostly against Nino’s mouth.

Nino grinned, nodded his head in agreement. “Coffee, if you have it.”

“Good choice, Tokai-sensei.” he answered, laughed when Nino giggled at him in return.


	15. Chapter 15

_The Tokyo Towers Midtower  
_ _Kachidoki, Chuo-ku, Tokyo  
_ _Tokyo, Present day_

“The man who adopted me was a lawyer,” said Ohno for starters, eyes on Nino as he took a careful sip of his coffee, one of the two steaming hot mugs Ohno brought with him after his brief trip to the kitchen to prepare it. Ohno sat next to him on the couch, cradling his own cup in between his hands, staring thoughtfully at it instead of drinking it.

“His name was Naruse Ryota, of Naruse and Associates,” Ohno added; Nino frowned when he heard the name, and knew he’d somehow heard it before. “Serizawa-san’s friend and business partner. He died two years ago.”

The last bit was honestly surprising that Nino almost spilled the coffee all over himself after hearing it.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry to hear that, Oh-chan,” he said; Ohno’s gaze lifted and found him, shook his head and smiled.

“He was a good man,” Ohno said, breathing in deeply. Nino could tell it couldn’t have been easy for him, despite the fact that he was trying not to show it. “And, well, we might not have the perfect father-and-son relationship during the time he was alive, but he did his best to be good to me. Better than what my real father would ever be, I suppose.” Ohno added with a small smile.

To be perfectly honest, Nino understood him completely.

“Was he the reason why you became a lawyer yourself? To follow in his footsteps?” he asked after a moment of comfortable silence shared between them.

“Well, yes, in a way,” Ohno returned with a chuckle. “Yes, because I did know he wanted me to be one, for obvious reasons. The company he built was one of them. But, it took me a while to, you know, decide. I didn’t want him to think I was doing it for him, because honestly, I wasn’t. I - I guess you could say it’s expected that we wouldn’t get along right away. I always thought that he only agreed to adopt me because he needed someone to take over the company when he was gone, not because he wanted a son.”

“But?” he prompted when Ohno remained quiet for a while.

Ohno shrugged. “Not sure if I was right to assume that at first, but along the way, I guess we just, you know, kinda understood and tolerated each other. I mean, he needed me, and no matter how many times I try to deny it, or even delude myself of the fact, I needed him too. I needed his name, his connections, his money, because without them, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I had to find you. Or the group of people responsible for the deaths of so many. And he didn’t know I became a lawyer until about half a year before he passed away.”

Nino frowned at that. “I...I don’t get it. What, you didn’t tell him? You studied and passed to be a lawyer without informing your adoptive parents about it?”

Ohno shook his head. “Funny, because he thought I was studying to be an architect. And I was, at first. I really did consider continuing it. But then I found out I wasn’t the only one who was thinking to bring the congregation to justice, that there are so many people who wanted it too. Serizawa-sensei is one of those, and knowing it somehow changed my mind. I changed course the next term without informing my adoptive parents about it. But I did tell Serizawa-sensei, and I asked him to keep it from them.”

Nino blinked. “That’s...so weird. Why would you even do that? And what was that about Serizawa-san that made you change your mind?”

Ohno shrugged again. “Sensei’s son was one of the victims of the Tokyo attack.” Ohno answered simply.

“God, Oh-chan, I -” he said, or at least started to, but then the sound of Ohno’s phone vibrating on the nearby coffee table stopped him. Their attention riveted to it, as Ohno quietly picked it up but not before putting his mug of coffee down.

“Sorry, I have to take this,” Ohno said, which he answered with a nod. “It’s Serizawa-san. I’m expecting his call.”

“Go on.” he prompted, watched as Ohno slid his thumb across the screen to answer the call.

“Yes, Sensei.” Ohno answered, frowned as he listened to the person talking on the other end. Nino watched as Ohno’s expression changed, bracing himself the moment Ohno exhaled in a rush and muttered, “No, no, I get it. Yes, I’ll be there. I have to see it for myself.”

When Ohno turned to him, Nino’s heart was beating hard, noisy against his ribcage.

“What is it?”

Ohno pursed his lips; he looked furious, but Nino was certain it was more than that. There’s something else brimming behind Ohno’s eyes, and it was more than enough to scare Nino, but he did his best to rein it in.

“I...I have to go. I need to go see Serizawa-san for a bit. I’ll be back, I promise.”

Nino’s pulse was racing. “What, now? It’s late, can’t you call him back and tell him you’ll go see him tomorrow? Oh-chan -”

Ohno reached over to grab his hand, tugged him forward to press a quick kiss to his temple, and effectively cut him off.

“I won’t be long, Kazu, I promise. I just. I told Serizawa-san I wanted to be there when they caught the people responsible for what happened to you and the others. He called to inform me that they’re at the location right now,” Ohno paused here to look at him, before pulling Nino in for a hug.

“I was told my father would be there too.”

\--

_Oji-so Paper Holdings HQ  
_ _Ginza 4-chome, Chuo-ku Tokyo  
_ _Tokyo, Present day_

Serizawa-san looked stressed when Ohno found him on the fifteenth floor of Oji-so Paper Holdings - honestly the last place in Tokyo Ohno had expected to be directed to after he’d talked to the older lawyer earlier - phone slapped against his ear and pacing back and forth the dimly-lighted hallway of the supposedly-empty office, which was now crowded with uniformed guys with guns.

However, the older lawyer immediately hung up when he spotted him, beckoning him over.

“Here? Really?” he asked the minute he was close enough for Serizawa-san to hear him without needing to raise his voice.

Serizawa-san nodded. “Believe me, I thought the bastard was lying too. But I told our people to check it out anyway.”

“And?” he asked, knew he was being impatient but to hell with it. He was certain Serizawa-san understood him completely to take offense.

Serizawa-san pointed towards the direction of the closed office before he spoke. “Chiba-chan and Maruyama-kun are inside, and with them is one of the two guys who’d confessed. They brought him with them to be sure.”

Ohno felt a headache coming. His head throbbed, curiosity and frustration mingling. “Are you saying all of them are there? In that office? The people those guys were saying masterminded the accident at the hospital?”

Serizawa-san nodded. “And the one responsible for the accident at Tokai-sensei’s apartment too.”

Ohno swallowed hard and turned towards the direction of the door. He started marching without waiting for permission from Serizawa-sensei, knowing the older lawyer was following. He’d reached the door and opened it without saying anything.

Inside, the sight that greeted him froze him on his feet.

Maruyama-kun sat on the floor next to Chiba-chan, and another man Ohno didn’t recognize sat between them, hands cuffed behind him. Another person was in the room with them, an older man, probably in his late fifties now, smiling thoughtfully the moment Ohno entered the room.

Ohno felt his heart raced in a bad, bad way, especially when the man acknowledged his presence with a nod and a curt, “Ohno-kun, it’s been a while. How have you been? I’m guessing you’re here for the same reason as these gentlemen here, huh? To arrest your father, right?” he asked, before he was laughing loudly that the sound of it reverberated to every corner of the office.

Ohno stumbled back, gaze finding Serizawa-sensei. “Kei-chan, what’s wrong?”

Ohno shook his head, heart thudding hard in his chest.

“Sensei, that man is not my father. That man is Higayashima Noriyuki,” he breathed, blinking in disbelief. He turned to the man again, who was still shaking with mirth right there on the chair he was sitting at.

The man who was supposed to be in jail, and not here, very clearly enjoying Ohno’s shock.

“The cult Leader?!” Serizawa-san exclaimed, looking and sounding shocked while Ohno stood there, contemplating rushing towards the older man to demand answers and running towards the direction of the door to leave.

“But, he’s supposed to be in jail! Why in hell is he here? Where in hell is your father??”

The sound of the Leader’s laughter was louder now, and looking at him brought shivers down Ohno’s spine.

“The children are to be sacrificed in the altar of pureness,” the Leader suddenly ceased laughing, and the fear that settled over Ohno then felt like a painful punch to the gut.

“His Supreme Holiness was right. It doesn’t matter how long we have to wait. We’ll find you all someday, no matter how long we have to wait, and we’ll finish the offerings when the right time comes,” Higayashima said. Ohno frowned, confused and equal-parts terrified.

Higayashima then set his gaze on him and added, meaningfully, with a smile.

“I believe that time is now.”

\--

_The Tokyo Towers Midtower  
_ _Kachidoki, Chuo-ku, Tokyo  
_ _Tokyo, Present day_

  
  


Despite Nino’s reluctance to let Ohno go, the older man still insisted on leaving.

Though he’d left his phone with Nino, with promise to call to let him know when he would be coming back as soon as the entrapment was over, it was hard to stay calm. He understood Ohno’s wishes to put those responsible behind bars, to watch it happen in person, but it was difficult not to feel scared.

He was pacing around the apartment, agitated and terrified for obvious reasons, unable to keep still despite his efforts. He’d checked the clock on the wall for the fifteenth time since Ohno left, wondering why it sure seemed like it hadn’t moved since, when it already felt like he’d been waiting there for hours.

He looked at the phone in his hand and sighed, wondering if it was a good idea to call Serizawa-sensei just to check if Ohno was with him already, but thought better of it. The older lawyer had no idea who he was; calling him to check on Ohno would be - weird, if not embarrassing.

He meant to sit down, he really did, toss the phone down the table and maybe fix himself another cup of coffee to pass the time when the sound of the doorbell ringing made him pause. He stilled, wondering if he was just imagining it until he heard it again.

He gave Ohno’s phone he was still gripping in his hand a look and frowned. Was that Ohno ringing the doorbell? Obviously not, because Nino was certain Ohno had his keys with him, and it would be unlikely for him to ring the bell to be let in.

Despite his better judgments, he walked the short way from the living room to the front entrance, eyeing the front door suspiciously. .He kept Ohno’s phone in hand, unlocked and ready to call the emergency number when the ringing stopped and in its place, a voice of a man Nino didn’t recognize.

“Satoshi, open the door. It’s me,” the voice said. “It’s your _father._ ”


	16. Chapter 16

_Yamato, early spring 1995, Yamato  
_ _(Days after the Tokyo attack)_

“You will be arrested for masterminding the attack,” His Supreme Holiness’ voice was steady, each word spoken was laden with certainty that it was difficult not to admire him. He was on his knees on the floor, head bowed low to show his respect.

The room felt small and suffocating, the air was thick and it was getting increasingly difficult to breathe through it, but it was nothing he wasn’t accustomed to. He’d trained hard to be His Supreme Holiness’ appointed forefront, while He worked in the shadows.

And His Holiness preferred it better to talk in this chamber to prevent anyone from seeing or hearing him, a rule he’d gotten used to since his appointment a couple of years ago.

But normally, the topic of their meeting was mostly focused on what he should address the congregation next. Obviously, that wasn’t happening. After the instigated attack in Tokyo, they expected this would happen sooner or later.

His Supreme Holiness anticipated that too, apparently.

“I was told it will happen first thing in the morning, so be ready. Half of the first group will sacrifice themselves tonight. The rest of you shall wait until tomorrow.”

He acknowledged it with a nod. “You may speak, Noriyuki. I know you have questions for me.” His Supreme Holiness added.

He bowed low, his forehead was almost touching the floor but he didn’t mind it. His whole existence was solely to serve the congregation’s purpose, to serve His Supreme Holiness himself, and nothing else.

“I have nothing to ask, Your Grace,” he whispered, “We’ll do as you say. I will tell the others about this, and we’ll make sure to carry out your will. Don’t worry.”

“And I have been briefed about some of the children disappearing. It seems like someone has been working actively behind our backs to stop the offering.”

He was raising his head to look at the Leader upon hearing that before he could even stop himself, looking back down when he realized what he’d done.

“My apologies, Your Grace. I...I have no idea about that.” he apologized.

“I’m sure you don’t. You’re busy enough as it is, my child. I don’t blame you. But I have been provided with enough evidence to believe that it is true. But don’t you worry. I have already assigned some people to look into it as we speak.”

He nodded, his shame and his guilt mingling. He’d been the one to order the retrieval of the children, having them buried for three days before they were to be offered on the last night.

“I understand, Your Grace.”

“My son, it seems, has escaped too.” His Holiness added after a beat, and he honestly felt as though he’d been punched hard in the gut. He’d been the one who’d personally arranged the retrieval of His Holiness’ son, but it seemed that that, too, had failed. He kept his head bowed low in apology, uncertain of what to say.

“I...I’m sorry to hear that, Your Grace.” he murmured.

“Don’t be,” His Holiness replied. “I’ve always known that there are things we can’t control. But it doesn’t necessarily mean we failed. Because we didn’t. We can’t see that now, but someday, we will. I assure you that we will.”

He said nothing, but as he nodded his head in agreement, he kept His Holiness’ words in heart and his mind.

\--

_Oji-so Paper Holdings HQ_

_Ginza 4-chome, Chuo-ku Tokyo_

_Tokyo, Present day_

  
  


He was seething with rage, shaking with it. The sight brought him back to the painful past, to endless torture brought about by this man. In his young mind, he didn’t understand any of it, didn’t get the importance of what they were forcing them, the children, to do. He managed to get out of that hell, yes, but at the expense of someone else, in exchange for someone else’s life.

Their blood was in his hands, and he had never quite forgiven himself for it.

He was trembling with the urge to shut the man’s mouth from talking, his anger was blinding, but looking at him now made him realize it wasn’t just rage. He was still terrified of the man, of his presence, for some goddamn reason.

“You thought you were lucky? That we didn’t know? You’re so naive, Ohno-kun.” Higayashima pointed, laughing like he’d gone insane.

Gone was the normally composed man he remembered, not that he was looking forward to seeing him again. This, too, was a surprise, as was everything that was spilling out of the cult’s former Leader’s mouth.

“What is he even talking about, Kei-chan?” Serizawa-sensei grunted next to him, sounding irritated and anxious. Ohno honestly couldn’t blame him.

He had no idea what Higayashima-san was blabbering about.

“Look at you, acting all high and mighty,” Higayashima-san pointed, grinning wide. Ohno felt like sauntering over him to wipe it off permanently with his fist. He held it off for now, but made sure to remind himself of it later on, at least once they got the information they needed out of the crazy man.

“You don’t even know what is happening, do you?” Higayashima-san barked out with another irritating laugh. “Oh, poor you. Fine, I’ll tell you. I guess it wouldn’t hurt if I tell you, seeing that you’re being spared. Again. His Grace is obviously breaking all His rules for you, but I guess that’s just as expected.”

He frowned. He shook his head and tried to compose himself by forcing a smile.

“You’re mad, Higayashima. I don’t know how you managed to get out of jail, but I’m telling you you’re not going to be free for long. Enjoy that few precious minutes out of that cold cell you spent years in, because that’s going to be your last. You’re not going to get out of that place ever again. Not alive, at least. I’m going to make sure of it.”

Higayashima-san grinned, and there was that look in his eyes that told Ohno he was not even the least bit ruffled.

“You think I’m afraid of dying, Ohno-kun?” Higayashima-san muttered. “Thus was my fate, and I’ve embraced it. When are you going to embrace yours?”

A shiver ran through him then, but he did his best to hide it.

“I have no idea what you’re going on about,” he muttered, stepping forward. Higayashima-san’s eyes followed him as he moved closer. “Tell me what we need to know so we can call it a night, Higayashima. Who let you out? And where are the people that instigated the attack in Tokyo General? We were told this is where we would find them.”

Higayashima-san smirked. “You still don’t get it, do you?” the man countered. “I’m just the decoy, Ohno-kun. And the people you are looking for are probably either dead or would end up dead before the night is over.” Higayashima-san shrugged. “And you’re not asking the right questions here, you see. I can’t help you if you don’t know exactly what you should be asking me.”

“You think this is funny, Higayashima? You think you’re so clever? We’ll get the answers out of you eventually, either here or at the station. You can make it easy by telling us now, or make it hard by keeping your mouth shut. Your choice.”

The frustration was killing him, but his confusion wasn’t too far behind. He felt like strangling the man to get what he needed, and this riddle game Higayashima-san was so fond of playing was making him tick.

He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, letting the defiance speak for itself. He could try and indulge the man, play his games, but he needed to do it carefully. A part of him wanted to do this right, of course, but something was telling him they were being held back here for a reason.

“My choice won’t matter at this point, Ohno-kun,” Higayashima-san muttered, tone laden with meaning. “And as I said, you’re not asking the right questions. But I guess I can tell you what I’m allowed to say, at least.”

He clicked his tongue and shrugged. “Be my guest. As I said, you can make things easier by talking now, as I’m sure you know it won’t be pleasant for you when we reach the station.”

Higayashima-san pulled back and copied his stance, crossing his arms and leaning back comfortably on his chair.

“The children are to be sacrificed at the altar of pureness,” Higayashima-san murmured, repeating what he’d muttered earlier. “Every last one of them.”

“What are you even -”

“There are exactly thirteen of you,” Higayashima-san’s eyes met his. “Eight of whom have been retrieved successfully over the last ten years.”

The shiver that ran through him then was un-ignorable. “And the last five are to be retrieved tonight,” Higayashima-san paused here, but he had a feeling the older man wasn’t done talking just yet. He had a feeling he knew exactly who those five were.

“Except _you_.”

\--

He wasn’t driving fast enough, even though it was obvious it was way past the driving speed.

He’d kept hitting the call icon, but even that proved to be useless. It was the same voice prompt, saying his phone was either turned off or out of coverage area, and his heart hadn’t stopped trying to beat its way out of his chest since the first time he’d heard it when he dialed his number.

The car behind him honked, and he saw the driver signaled for him to slow down so he could take over. He allowed it, slowing down until their cars were side by side on the road. He was only vaguely thankful it was late - the roads were mostly empty saved from the few that were on the road like him.

“The police are on their way as well, Kei-chan!” Maruyama-kun yelled from the other car, blatantly ignoring Chiba-chan’s scowl. “I told them to go straight to your apartment to check!”

He nodded, and then gestured with his other hand for them to drive away. He hit the call icon again when Maruyama’s car drove past his, and almost caused his car to swerve into the roadside when the usual voice prompt was replaced with the sound of ringing booming through his car’s speakers, a click, then a voice he never would have imagined hearing again.

“Father?” he croaked, barely able to let the word out. His fear was being replaced with something more pronounced, something that made even the simple thing as breathing difficult.

“What...what in hell is happening? Why is that phone with you? Where is -”

“Ninomiya-kun is safe, for now,” his father answered, unfeeling. “But he won’t be for long. And so are the other three that you managed to save the other day. They’re all going to be sacrificed at once.”

Higayashima-san’s words came back to him like pieces of puzzle, and the realization was both overwhelming and terrifying.

_The children are to be sacrificed at the altar of pureness. Every last one of them._

_Every last one of them._

_Except you._

_Except you._

_Holy fuck._

The car screeched to a stop when he stepped on the break, trembling all the fuck over. He was breathing harshly, in fear and in barely-concealed anger as he let his head loll forward, his forehead hitting the steering wheel hard.

“Father, please,” he breathed, feeling drained, all the fight in his body leaving him all at once. He felt weak, he felt all his defenses crumbling to the ground. “Please, don’t hurt him. I...I’m willing to do everything you want me to. Just...just let him live, please.”

A beat, a pause, and just the sound of his father’s even breathing from the other end. He swore he could hear something else, someone whimpering in the background, muted though it was, but he heard it just the same.

Nino was there, alive. But as his father had said, not for long.

“Tell me what I have to do, Father. Please.”

Another moment of tensed silence, and then it was followed by the sound of shuffling feet. Seconds passed, and his father’s voice came back.

“One soul in exchange for four,” his father said. “I’ll let the others live, just as you asked. But you know what to do, Satoshi. You’ve known it since you decided to kill every guild sent to retrieve Ninomiya-kun and his sister. You have until sunrise.”

A breath, then it was followed by Nino’s voice screaming frantically on the other end.

“No! Oh-chan, no! Don’t do it, don’t you dare! Oh-chan - Fuck, let me go, let me- !”

He screwed his eyes shut just as the line went dead. Shaking, he dialed Maruyama’s number next. The guy answered right away.

“Maru, are you there yet?”

Sounds of banging soon followed, Chiba-chan yelling his lungs out. “No one’s here, Kei-chan! Are you sure they’re here?”

He was certain his heart stopped beating then. “What do you mean they’re not there? Did you search the whole apartment? I mean -”

“Yes, fuck, there’s nowhere else to search, are you fucking kidding me? No one’s here, I’m telling you! Are you certain you left him here?”

“Fuck.” he swore, breathing harshly, his heart in his throat. “Shit. Nino, oh my god.”

“Kei-chan! Are you there? Are you still there? Kei -” he hung up, only gave himself a few seconds to decide before he was turning on the ignition again with shaking fingers.

He called the hospital next, and when he was told Matsumoto and Aiba were gone, leaving their friend Sakurai Sho swearing up a storm finding the two, he knew what should be done.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to the last. Thank you for bearing with me until now :D

_Undisclosed location  
_ _Present day_

  
  


“You know who I am.” 

It wasn’t even phrased as a question, and Nino would have scoffed at the older man in answer if it was possible through the makeshift gag. He wriggled and glared, hoping he looked as menacing as he felt despite his current situation, but he was certain he must only look silly. Tied to a chair, both his arms and feet were bound and he couldn’t even fucking scream to curse the man off. 

Desperate, he grunted through the fabric as he struggled against the bonds, but it barely budged. The frustration made his eyes swell, his rage along with it.

As if on cue, the older man started walking, crossing the short distance between them and stopped when he was close enough to tug the fabric off of Nino’s mouth. Nino sputtered, eyes narrowed, his mouth felt bruised and swollen.

“What the fuck do you want from us?” he hissed; the blow came almost immediately, his head thrashing to the side when the older man’s palm connected against his cheek. 

“You will not speak unless I allow you to,” came the cold reply, and Nino bit his tongue to keep himself swearing. He wanted to do more than that, but this was obviously not the time for him to be running his mouth. What he needed was a plan, a distraction even, to get out of here so he could find Ohno. 

“An obedient child is a treasure,” the older man followed, his expression unreadable as he reached over to smooth Nino’s bangs out of his eyes, his touch gentle, compared to the forceful slap Nino received not even minutes earlier. 

“Like gold, they have to be tested under extreme conditions to know their worth. Their strength.” the man added meaningfully, and Nino was this close from telling the other man off, from telling him he was mad for doing this to them.

To be honest, the man’s sudden appearance surprised him as much as it baffled him, more so now that he was speaking in riddles and making Nino’s head hurt even more. He hadn’t even meant to open the door earlier - he wasn’t that stupid to do that when Ohno already mentioned his father’s possible involvement in the bombing incidents in his apartment and in the hospital parking lot - but apparently, the older man wasn’t leaving the apartment empty-handed.

Until this moment, Nino wondered how in hell they managed to get the door open, found Nino there and forcefully took him with them, but he guessed that part was simple if a person knew what to do. 

“Speak, Ninomiya-kun. Tell me what you’re thinking.” 

Nino kept his eyes narrowed, hoping his rage was strong enough to knock the older man out. But that stuff only happened in movies, and Nino was in no way powerful enough to kill someone with just a glare.

That didn’t mean he couldn’t murder this man in his head several times, and in very painful ways while he was at it, too.

He bit his lips. “You’re mad, Ohno-san,” he spat, his voice dripping with venom. The older man’s mouth turned up in a half-formed smile and Nino felt sick at the almost familiar sight. Then, he leaned back, eyeing Nino cruelly.

“Why, because I’d rather kill my own son than watch him live in sin?” 

Nino was not in the position to take offense, not really, but it was hard to keep a straight face when everything about the situation was fucked up, the reason, the people behind it. All of it was making Nino sick, half in rage and worry. 

“And you think your god will forgive you for murdering innocent people just because you chose your twisted beliefs over the life of your own flesh and blood?” he spat out, too angry to even worry about the consequences of saying what was on his mind. 

“Don’t joke now, Ohno-san.”

The older man’s eyes were so cold that they were emotionless when Nino stared straight into them.

“Of course, I do, Ninomiya-kun,” the man said. “Because _that_ god is in me, and he was the one who told me what I should do to all of you. What I should have done to all of you before. But that doesn’t matter now, because you’re here, and soon, the others would be, too.”

\--

The roads were thankfully not that congested as he drove through it with only half a mind to spare. He couldn’t focus, enough to be grateful about certain things when his chest was filled with dread that he could feel it almost vibrating across his skin, and tingling at his fingertips. 

He could still hear Nino’s voice, ringing loudly in his head, yelling for him to stop, to think, for just a moment. But he couldn’t think, not when he was terrified that if he waited another minute, his father wouldn’t hesitate anymore. Killing Nino wouldn’t mean much to his father, and it was that fact that prompted him to act fast.

He wasn’t told where to go, but he knew exactly where they were keeping Nino. Where Nino’s sister, Matsumoto and Aiba would be, too. He couldn't be hesitating now, not when his father had made it especially clear that if he wasn't there to meet him before sunrise, he'd kill everyone. He didn't have to hear his father say it, not anymore, because he knew they'd be there.

The place where it started. And the very same place where it should have ended as well.

They’d been congregating there still, and if it wasn’t for the accidental discovery of the graves, no one would realize they’re still there.

Ohno was positive he’d find them there.

His mobile phone vibrated, signaling a call. He didn’t even bother checking who was calling and just tapped on the call icon. Soon, a familiar voice was speaking through his car’s speaker, a voice familiarly layered with worry.

“You’re sure about this, Kei-chan?” 

He was running out of words to say, his gratitude for the man who’d stood by him since day one but he was certain he didn’t need to. The older man knew how thankful he was for everything he’d done for him. 

“It’s the only way to save the others, Sensei,” he answered. “I...I can’t fail them now. Not again.”

A beat. “I would tell you again that what happened before wasn’t your fault, but we both know you already know that. And I’m sure that won’t stop you from doing this anyway, so, I won’t anymore.” Serizawa-sensei said, and Ohno felt like weeping.

He had so much to be thankful for, but none of those mattered now. He’d made up his mind. He would do this, even if it was the last thing he would do to save his friends. To save Nino.

“Goodbye, Sensei.” he said, hanging up without waiting for Serizawa-sensei’s answer.

\--

 _Undisclosed location  
_ _Yamato, present day_

Nino heard the noises even before he saw them, and the fear that grappled him then was crippling, almost too much so that he honestly felt as if he was frozen in place when they brought them into the room all at once. Bound and blindfolded, just like Nino was when he was brought in earlier.

“Jun-chan, Jun-chan, where are - argh!” it was Aiba’s voice, rudely cut off by a hard slap to the face, and Nino winced as if he was the one who received the blow himself. Next to him was Nino’s sister, who remained expectedly quiet. Jun was on Aiba’s right, half-lying on the floor and groaning.

Nino struggled against the ropes binding him to the chair, heart thudding hard against his ribcage.

“Let them go,” he hissed, glaring at the familiar faces now surrounding his friends, his sister. “Don’t you fucking lay a hand on any of them, you hear me? I’m gonna kill you all myself!”

There was collective laughter from the crowd, at the same time Jun and Aiba were yelling for him, calling his name. Panic rose in Nino’s throat and settled there, watching in horror as men circled the three like vultures. As if on cue, Ohno’s father walked into the room, donning a sickeningly familiar robe that he only ever saw a handful of times, worn by the cult’s then leader, Higayashima.

Ohno-san walked and the entire room fell silent, but Nino’s mind wasn’t. His thoughts were in chaos, fear and understanding mingling. When it dawned on him, he startled back, frowning hard.

He was wrong. They all were. God damn, but they were all wrong. They all thought it was someone else, but clearly, it wasn’t. It had been him all along. 

Did Ohno know?

“Get ready,” Ohno-san’s voice was clear and emotionless, just like the man himself when he issued the order, eyeing Nino and the rest. “It should be any moment now.” he added. Everyone in the room moved as one, and Nino would be amazed at the precision of their movements if it wasn’t for the fact that he knew what it meant.

A voice from the direction of the front door prompted everyone to stop what they were doing, to stop Nino from mentally panicking when two men sauntered towards him and started dragging him towards the center of the room. 

He didn’t even need to glance back to know who it was.

“You will let go of them, Father.” Nino heard Ohno say, his voice was firm and unyielding Nino felt like weeping, hearing him. “That was the agreement, or have you already forgotten?”

Nino’s heart was in his throat he could barely speak through the emotion clogging it, but he had to try. He had to, before it was too late.

“Satoshi, no!” he yelled as loudly as he could, chest expanding in his effort to be heard, ignoring the ache that was making everything difficult. “You promised me! You said you’re not leaving me again, you promised! Please don’t do this, please don’t, I’m begging you!”

There was no response, but Nino wasn’t done yet. He’d yell until his lungs hurt, until he couldn’t anymore, hoping Ohno would hear him. 

“Oh-chan, please!”

There was the sound of commotion, and then Ohno’s father’s voice was spouting orders again.

“You heard my son,” he said, “Take those four out of the chamber, and lock it.”

“No, no no no, no you can’t do this! Oh-chan, no!”

A pair of arms came around him, hauling him up, the same way they did the others. He’d barely enough time to catch Ohno looking, and saw when his father grabbed him on the shoulder and pushed him to his knees.

“Satoshi, no! You promised! You promised! Please, don’t do this!” he yelled, kept yelling until he could no longer see anything, could no longer feel anything other than the pain of the person’s hands clawing into his skin as he dragged him outside.

\--

He wasn’t certain how long he’d been there, kneeling on the ground awaiting his execution when he heard the sounds of honking cars, followed by the unmistakable sounds of screeching tiles on asphalt. Nino didn’t even get to squint to see properly until the men surrounding them started shouting, pushing them all face-first to the ground. Nino anticipated an incoming knife to the skull, but somehow, it didn’t come. 

The next moment, he was being turned over, and the first face he saw was that of Serizawa-sensei. The rush of emotion was overwhelming he didn’t realize he was sobbing until he was tugged right into the older lawyer’s arms, stuttering Ohno’s name as he shook helplessly there.

“Please, help him. He’s inside, he’s… his father is there. He’s with him, he’s...he’s going to kill him, please. Please, help him.” he begged, in broken words hoping someone was listening, hoping the older lawyer could understand. 

As if on cue, an explosion rocked the area, Nino once again found himself pushed to the ground, Serizawa-sensei’s body covering his. They were both grunting when Serizawa-san rolled off of him to see what just happened. The dread that settled over him was incomparable, the fear even more so.

Because it seemed like that the explosion came from the chamber itself, destroying everything in its wake. Fire broke out after it, black smoke coming from everywhere.

_Ohno was in there._

_Ohno was in there._

Nino fell over, but he didn’t feel anything. He was screaming but he couldn’t hear himself either. 

_It was over._

_It was over._

Ohno’s death took care of everything.

That was the last he remembered before everything went dark around him.

  
  
  



End file.
